Elgin FFA begins fundraising campaign for the BARN project. $450,000 goal for Oct. 2025

ELGIN – The Elgin Jr/Sr High School Agriculture Education and FFA Chapter is hitting the ground running going into the new year. Already well ahead of schedule in both funding and planning for their BARN project (which stands for Building Agricultural Resources Network), the chapter is kicking off a new fundraising and sponsorship campaign to fully realize this ambitious educational project.

For those unfamiliar, the BARN project aims to build a multi-use agricultural learning center and barn for the Elgin School District’s agricultural classes, FFA chapter, and 4-H chapters, offering a hands-on learning space for students. The facility will offer labs and classrooms, a commercial kitchen, a meeting hall, facilities for students to keep and raise livestock if they don’t have property of their own, along with spaces for community use. 

The project grew out of an initial donation of twelve sheep to the Elgin FFA chapter in 2021 and the subsequent need for a place to keep them. Following various revisions and expansions of the plan, and an unprecedented amount of support, the BARN project evolved into its current iteration by the fall of 2024.

By the beginning of November 2024, the project had acquired around $600,000 in funding, putting it years ahead of schedule. Despite this, the chapter still need a further $450,000 to make the BARN project a reality and are asking the community for support. In a letter going out to prospective sponsors, the chapter highlighted the following benefits of supporting the project:

1. Enhance Learning Opportunities: A dedicated barn allows students to manage animal projects, offering practical experience that complements classroom learning and FFA competitions.
2. Support FFA Activities: The barn and Agricultural Learning Center complex will serve as a hub for FFA events, including meetings, workshops, and competitions, fostering leadership and teamwork among our members, both locally and regionally.
3. Promote Community Engagement: We envision the Agricultural Learning Center hosting community events and educational workshops, bringing families and neighbors together to learn about agriculture and sustainability.
4. Encourage Leadership and Responsibility: Involvement in agriculture teaches students accountability and the importance of hard work, essential qualities for future leaders.

Any kind of support, big or small, will help bring the BARN to fruition. Currently, the chapter is accepting monetary donations, in-kind donations, and sponsorships. All direct monetary donations will go toward the construction of the facilities. Donations of materials, tools or other services related to the project are likewise more than welcome. Sponsorships for specific elements of the facilities go a long way to help as well. The sponsorships opportunities are split into 7 tiers ranging from as low a dollar all the way up to over $200,000. A document explaining the sponsorship tiers is attached at the end of this article.

Donations and sponsorships can be arranged on the BARN project webpage https://elginffa.weebly.com/barn.html.

For perspective sponsors that would like to discuss the project further or arrange a visit of the current program, contact Elgin’s Agriculture Teacher and FFA Advisor, Daniel Bolen, at 541-437-2021 or at daniel.bolen@elginsd.org. 

To learn more about the full plan and history of the project, see our previous article at https://elkhornmediagroup.com/elgin-school-districts-barn-project-raises-nearly-600000-years-ahead-of-schedule/

Sponsorship information below:

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Elkhorn Media Group