The Arizona Agricultural Education/FFA Foundation was honored to recently award the Arizona Agriculture Teachers Association (AATA) a grant for $37,024. The grant supports AATA through professional development, the awards program, Ideas Unlimited, Arizona Agriculture Education Program Evaluation Instrument (AAEPEI) program, special events and administrative support.

The Foundation had the pleasure of hosting the Fall Retreat dinner August 15, 2021 along with the support of BASF. The Foundation values the work AATA does for their members and the programs offered in support of agriculture educators. There were more than 65 agriculture teachers and Foundation Board members in attendance at the dinner. AATA recognized their award winners from 2020 and 2021 during the program.

The Fundraising for Ag Education Raffle has officially launched with a value of $14,000 in excitng prizes this year! A special thank you to Stotz Equipment, NRS and Osborne Jewelers for supporting the fundraiser.

Grab your tickets for a chance to win one of four amazing prizes!

Tickets are $20 each or a pack of six tickets for $100. You must be at least 18 years old and a resident of Arizona to purchase tickets. We greatly appreciate the support of our retailers; Bales Hay in Buckeye, Olsen's Grain Stores in Clarkdale, Dewey, Prescott and Chino Valley for selling the raffle tickets. You can purchase your tickets online as well through www.ffaraffle.org. Foundation Board of Trustees and State FFA Officers are also selling the raffle tickets.

Many FFA Chapters from across Arizona are participating in the raffle to raise funds to support their local program. Be sure and list the chapter you would like to refer on the physcial ticket or the online ticket link to give them credit and help support their fundraiser.

Tickets are available online until noon on February 19th. The winning tickets will be drawn at the 6th annual Blue & Gold Gala on February 19th at the Renaissance Phoenix Glendale Hotel & Spa. For information to attend that event visit www.blueandgoldgala.org.

Grab your tickets for the 6th annual Blue & Gold Gala presented by Arizona Farm Bureau and Farm Bureau Financial Services. The event will be held Saturday, February 19, 2022 at the Renaissance Phoenix Glendale Hotel & Spa.

You do not want to miss "The Biggest Night in Arizona Agriculture," to join more than 600 for a special evening to support agriculture education and the FFA in Arizona. Join us for a night filled with entertainment, silent auction, reception, dinner and a live auction. The Foundation will recognize the Blue & Gold Honoree and the Arizona Association will present the 2021 Agriculturalist of the Year award.

The Wine Wheel is returning this year so be sure and plan to take a spin on the Wine Wheel! We will also have an exciting raffle with more information to be released soon!

Sponsorship opportunities are available for the event. Visit www.blueandgoldgala.org for more details on the packages. There are more opportunities available this year to support the event!

We are also seeking donations for the silent auction. This is a great way to showcase your products, services or create a fun package to donate. If you would like to make a donation to the silent auction you may complete the silent auction donation submission.

View this quick video below to see some of the exciting moments when we all gathered in person in 2020! Don't wait to secure your tickets or grab some friends, family and colleagues to secure a table. In 2020 this event sold out a month ahead. This is a night you don't want to miss!

Hello! My name is Jack Owen and I originally come from the Willcox FFA Chapter. This year, I have the pleasure of serving as the Arizona Association FFA State President. These past few months since my teammates and I have been elected have definitely been some to remember!

We were able to start off our year of service by being elected at an in-person State Leadership Conference! It was an amazing experience seeing most of the chapters from around the state coming together and to finally see other FFA members in person. After SLC, we learned the duties of a state officer and went right into State Leadership Camp training and preparation for camp. Spending a week at Camp Shadow Pines in Heber, Arizona with members from around the state was a blast! Camp was a little smaller from previous years, but the members who were able to attend got an awesome experience and were able to take back a bunch of memories and ideas to their home Chapters!

After camp we trained with several individuals that have taught us various skills that we will be able to utilize with FFA members throughout the year. These training sessions have taught me and my teammates so much and have improved the team for the better.

In the middle of July as we started wrapping up our training, Taylor Groat, the Vice President and I headed to Washington D.C. for the State Officer Summit conference. While Taylor and I were in D.C. the rest of our teammates were tuning in virtually, we all had the opportunity to learn about advocacy and how we could better our State Associations. All of us also received the opportunity to meet fellow state officers from around the country and learn how their states run their FFA programs. The State Officer Summit was a blast, I wish I could attend every year!

As our summer starts wrapping up, we begin Chapter Visits! I am super excited to connect with members from all over the state and see new chapters and areas! We have our Chapter Officer Leadership conferences and our Summit Series right around the corner as well as the National FFA Convention. These past months have been incredible, and I can’t wait to see what the rest of this year brings!

Last year was such a difficult year for everyone. My team's vision is to make it the best year possible, no matter what is thrown at us. We know members need us more than ever, so we will do whatever it takes to make it a year of excitement, change, and enjoyment.