What is the Iowa FFA Enrichment Center?
- The state FFA Museum located on the state fairgrounds in Des Moines.
- A web site with a variety of leadership resources for Iowa FFA members.
- Another name for the state FFA camping facility located in Spirit Lake, Iowa.
- A food bank near Cedar Rapids operated by the Southeast FFA district.
- None of the above
The answer will become apparent as you progress through this Footnote.
The Vision
About 40 years ago Wayne Nattress had a vision. Wayne taught agriculture first at Palmer and then Buffalo Center, Iowa for 19 years. Wayne then served as the Iowa FFA State Advisor and as the agricultural education consultant for the Iowa Department of Education from 1982-1991. In 1986, Wayne boldly started the Iowa FFA Foundation to encourage youth to pursue careers and leadership roles in the agricultural industry. Wayne retired in 2010 and passed away in 2022. He had a vision that resulted in what is now the Iowa FFA Enrichment Center.
So what is the Iowa FFA Enrichment Center?
There are various ways to describe the Iowa FFA Enrichment Center. Here are some of them:
- It opened in 2010 in Ankeny, Iowa.
- It has 60,000 square feet.
- It is located on the campus of the Des Moines Area Community College.
- It is a 13 million dollar facility.
- Six organizations and individuals donated $1 million or more for its construction including Monsanto, Iowa Farm Bureau, Stine Seed Company, Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC), the city of Ankeny, and Dennis and Susan Albaugh.
- A number of “high five” FFA chapters across the state raised at least $5,000 to help finance the facility.
So, now do you know what the FFA Enrichment Center is? Trying to adequately describe it is similar to the story about the six blind men trying to describe an elephant, with each blind man touching a different part of the elephant. The Facebook page for the Center says “The FFA Enrichment Center is a beautiful and unique facility dedicated to helping new generations of Iowans prepare for exciting careers in agriculture.” So let’s dig a little deeper. 
It is true the Iowa FFA Enrichment Center is a building, but what happens inside it? Would it help to know what types of rooms or facilities are found inside? There is (are):
- The John Deere Exhibition Hall – large enough to accommodate a trade show.
- A large meeting room that can seat 480 people banquet/conference style with round tables. This room can be divided into two rooms.
- Six breakout rooms on the first floor and six classrooms on the second floor.
- A biotechnology lab (2nd floor).
- A teaching lab (2nd floor).
- Cargill Computing Center (1st floor).
- The Pioneer Agri-Science Computer Lab (2nd floor)
- A Vet Tech lab with adjoining surgical prep room, surgical room, and x-ray lab, (1st floor).
- Instructor offices and the administrative office for the Agricultural Program of DMACC (2nd floor). This includes Agribusiness, Horticulture, and Vet Tech. The DMACC Continuing Education office is also located here.
- Offices for the Iowa FFA Association and Foundation.
- Kitchen, storage areas, lounge, committee conference rooms and a variety of other work rooms.
Go to https://www.ffaenrichmentcenter.com/CMDocs/IowaFFAenrichment/FFA%20Center%20Space.pdf to see a map of the facility.
Enough hints. Let’s see how the Iowa FFA enrichment center is described on their website (https://www.ffaenrichmentcenter.com/our-facility.aspx):
The FFA Enrichment Center is a multipurpose conference, training and educational center adjoining the Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC), Ankeny Campus. Though the center has received and will continue to receive generous support from a multitude of valued sponsors, the shared intent of all involved has been the creation of a self-sustaining entity.
The FFA Enrichment Center is dedicated to providing a high quality learning environment and support services for educational programs and events hosted by recognized members and partners of the Iowa Agricultural Education family and organizations affiliated with Des Moines Area Community College.
The FFA Enrichment Center is open and welcome to the general public. However, the primary purpose of the FFA Enrichment Center is to help the Iowa FFA Foundation fulfill the education and development needs of the Iowa FFA Association, Iowa Association of Agricultural Educators (IAAE), Postsecondary Agricultural Students of Iowa (PAS), Iowa FFA Alumni, DMACC Agricultural Programs and DMACC Continuing Education. Scheduling preference is given to the aforementioned associations, their key business and industry supporters and like-minded organizations sharing similar mission and values.
So, who uses the FFA Enrichment Center? Obviously the FFA uses it for many of their activities. The state offices for the FFA are here and the state officers operate out of the Center. Some of the FFA/Agricultural Education activities include state officer interviews, agriculture teachers’ annual conference, the Agricultural Education Summit, State Leadership Conference for District Officers, FFA Officer onboarding and training, and the IAT (Ignite, Amplify, Transform) Conferences.
The Center also houses the agricultural program of DMACC. Faculty offices, labs and classrooms are located on the second floor with additional space for the Vet Tech program on the first floor.
The public and businesses also use the facility. There are approximately 400 corporate meetings and events held at the facility annually. It is a popular wedding venue with 40 or so weddings each year. There have even been school proms at the Center, funerals, political rallies including presidential candidates, retirement parties and the list goes on.
The above announcement is typical of the myriad of events held at the Enrichment Center. This was published in The Gazette of Cedar Rapids, November 1, 2023.
To get a more complete understanding of the Iowa FFA Enrichment Center you might want to visit their web site at https://www.ffaenrichmentcenter.com/ and also visit the photo gallery.
Concluding Remarks
During the opening ceremony of a FFA chapter the members state their reason for being at the meeting “”To practice brotherhood, honor agricultural opportunities and responsibilities, and develop those qualities of leadership which an FFA member should possess.” The Iowa FFA Enrichment Center is an embodiment of this ideal.
The Center did not happen overnight. Planning for a FFA Leadership Development Center in Iowa started in the late 1980s. A committee was meeting in the early 1990s to find a location for the Center. Eight different locations were under consideration. Fundraising efforts were started. It was a long journey, stretching over 20 years, but the Center opened its doors in 2010 (read about the opening in the Farm News). The words of Calvin Coolidge apply describe the journey:
“Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.”
The partnership between the Iowa FFA and the Des Moines Area Community College is a great idea and could be emulated in other states. This is something other states might want to think about.