369 Oregon FFA Members will receive their State Degree next month, over half are from Eastern Oregon

EASTERN OREGON – 369 Oregon FFA Members will receive their State Degrees during the 96th Oregon FFA Convention on March 22, 2024 at 6pm at the Deschutes Fair & Expo Center.

According to Oregon FFA, โ€œThe State Degree is the highest award a state FFA association can bestow upon its members. It is awarded at the State Convention. The State Degree recipients earn a charm that can be worn on the official jacket or on a gold chain.

All degree applications must derive from a valid SAE as defined by the Oregon FFA Association Board of Directors SAE Policies and must fit into one of the National FFA Proficiency Award areas.

The requirements for the Oregon FFA State Degree are as follows:

Have received the Chapter FFA Degree.

Have been an active FFA member for at least 2 years (24 months) at the time of receiving the State FFA Degree.

While in high school, have completed the equivalent of at least two years (360 hours) of systematic school instruction in agriculture education at or above the ninth grade level, which includes a supervised agricultural experience.

Have earned and productively invested at least $1,500 or un-paid placement hours, times a factor of 3.56, plus actual dollars earned and productively invested must be equal to or greater than the number of 1,500. Hours used for the purpose of producing earnings reported as productively invested income shall not be duplicated as hours of credit to meet the minimum requirements for the degree. A minimum of 500 hours must be worked in the last two years, regardless of the type of SAE project.

Demonstrate leadership ability by:

Performing 10 procedures of parliamentary law.

Giving a six-minute speech on a topic relating to agriculture or FFA.

Serving as an officer, committee chairperson, or participating member of a chapter committee.

Have a satisfactory scholastic record as certified by the local agricultural education instructor and the principal or superintendent. Must have an accumulative GPA of 2.0 as of December 31st of the year applying. GPA is based on the last term/semester completed.

Have participated in the planning and completion of the chapterโ€™s program of activities.

Have participated in a total of 30 activities with at least five FFA activities above the chapter level. Chapter meetings do not count. Example: The same activity completed for 3 years, counts as 3 activities.

Have participated in a minimum of 10 school and/or community activities.  Example: The same activity completed for 3 years, counts as three activities.

Completed at least 25 hours of community service in a minimum of two different activities. All hours are cumulative. i.e. โ€“ the 10 hours used to obtain the Chapter Degree can be used towards the State Degree. The community service hours must be in addition to the hours spent on paid or unpaid SAE projects. The hours cannot serve a dual purpose in fulfilling both community service and SAE requirements.โ€

Congratulations to all State Degree recipients.