This week we continue our exploration of agricultural education in Maryland. According to the 2023-2024 FFA Manual Maryland has 50 FFA chapters with 2,225 members. Maryland was the 9th state nationally to receive a charter from the National FFA in 1929. The Maryland application for a FFA charter can be found at this link. The website for the Maryland FFA is https://mdffa.org/.
Many of the activities conducted by Maryland agricultural teachers and FFA members are typical of what occurs in most states. Maryland has an FFA Foundation as do most states. The Foundation raises money to support FFA Activities.
However, Maryland also has a second foundation – The Maryland Agricultural Education Foundation (MAEF). In this Footnote we will explore what the Maryland Agricultural Education Foundation does, why it came into existence, and how it differs from the FFA Foundation. If your state doesn’t have such a Foundation, it might be something to consider.
David Miller is our guest columnist for this Footnote. David is a retired agriculture teacher, was active in the NVATA, served as an agricultural education specialist in the Maryland State Department of Education, was on the National FFA Board of Directors and is currently a consultant to the Maryland Agricultural Education Foundation. Take it away David!
The Maryland Agricultural Education Foundation
In the early to mid-1980s’, the ag industry in Maryland (MD) and across the U.S. was suffering and enrollment in agricultural education programs in the public schools was in decline. Many programs in MD closed and several school districts in the state offered no agricultural education programs for students. This became a concern by parents, employers, program graduates, students and ag industry representatives. With the support of the MD legislature and governor, in the mid-80’s, a Task Force was identified to study how to grow and improve agricultural education programs in the state.
One major outcome of the Task Force was to start a Foundation for agriculture education to provide support and raise funds to help improve agricultural education and FFA in MD. At this time there were two agricultural education staff at the Maryland State Department of Education to provide service to teachers and provide leadership to FFA. Due to budget cuts, both positions were eliminated and there were none. Thus, in 1989 the Maryland Agricultural Education Foundation (MAEF) was chartered as a 501-C3 non-profit organization.
Figure 1. The Foundation Logo
At first MAEF focused on providing awareness about agriculture to elementary students, by a retired ag teacher, and providing support for a part time college student to lead the FFA as the executive secretary. At first MAEF built one mobile lab (a large trailer) classroom which school districts could request for a week at a time. The lab was transported to the school and the teacher and instructional materials were provided.
This became very popular with students and today there are four units that are booked throughout the state most every week of the school year. The lessons for students are very hands-on and aligned with the National Standards for science, math, etc. but we use agricultural products and everyday examples that students could relate to, to teach these lessons. MAEF also has a Showcase mobile unit which is full of agricultural education activities for attendees to do but this unit is reserved for fairs, field days and special events. To learn more about the mobile labs visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtzbirg3UhU (1:09 minutes) and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxzXVHShP2o (4:40 minutes). These are worth watching.
Figure 2. One of the five MAEF mobile labs.
Figure 3. Activity inside an MAEF mobile lab. From the Maryland Independent, Port Tobacco, MD. December 4, 2019
Today there are nine full and part time MAEF staff providing a full range of agricultural education and FFA services to students and teachers pre-K through adults. The organization is dedicated to increasing agricultural literacy and agricultural education. MAEF provides programs serving pre-kindergarten through post-secondary audiences including professional development for teachers, mobile ag science labs and Amazing Maryland Ag Showcases and MD FFA, as well as, serving as the state affiliate for the National Agriculture in the Classroom program.
Figure 4. From the Star-Democrat, Easton, MD. June 5, 1991
MAEF is dedicated to fostering an appreciation for agriculture and equipping educators with the tools they need to inspire the next generation of agricultural leaders. Further, MAEF supports the educational aspirations of students pursuing careers in agriculture through scholarships and provides grants to educators for innovative agricultural projects. MAEF staff along with UM Agricultural education staff provide leadership for workshops, teacher conferences and other staff development activities.
MAEF is funded by revenues from the sale of the MD vehicle ag tag license plates. Anyone with a licensed vehicle can purchase the tag. We receive a small part of the annual fee paid for each ag tag purchased and/or renewed. The tag is beautiful with a farm scene and the wording “Our Farms, Our Future”. MAEF benefits from the MD Motor Vehicle Administration selling tens of thousands of them annually. All tags start with the letter A (agriculture) followed by a 6 digit number unless you order a personalized tag.
Figure 5. Top left article from the Salisbury (MD) Daily Time, October 21, 2002. Bottom image from the Baltimore Sun, April 2, 2006. Notice the number of ag tags sold every month.
MAEF was very instrumental in reestablishing the ag teacher education program at the University of Maryland College Park (See the 3/21/2025 Footnote). UM staff, of which there are two now, teach classes at the post-secondary and graduate levels, assist ag teachers by conducting workshops and classes on current and developing topics. MAEF is also very involved with ag industry representatives and organizations statewide and enjoy great support from such.
FFA in MD is provided leadership and services by the MD Agricultural education Foundation staff. Partial funding for the position of FFA Executive Director is provided by a grant from the Maryland State Department of Education. The balance of that salary and the two-part time FFA and secondary agricultural education staff services is borne by MAEF. MD agricultural education is fortunate to have the leadership and services of staff available from the MD Agricultural education Foundation or there would be very limited to no services provided to agricultural education in MD since the MD State Department reduced staff due to tight budgets in the early 1990’s. Without MAEF’s support it is fair to say today agricultural education programs in MD at all levels would likely not exist.
This arrangement with MAEF works for MD. Fortunately, today with the changes made and lots of hard work, MD has at least one agricultural education program in every school district in MD including Baltimore City. The leadership available to students through FFA, was a giant motivator in reestablishing agricultural education programs in MD. MAEF secondary and post-secondary staff also provides leadership and service to programs and courses at the community college level throughout the state.
The system by which agricultural education, including FFA, is administered in states throughout the U.S. varies considerably. In some cases, agricultural education is administered by their state department of education, a community college, a university, or in the case of MD, a Foundation and there may even be other systems. Whatever works for your state, please continue, but if things change, and they will, one needs to be ready to explore and identify who or what organization is willing to step up and provide the services so essential for continuing this great work for the benefit of our students, the ag industry and society.
Please take the time to visit the Maryland Agricultural Education Foundation website to learn more. This Footnote barely scratches the surface. Go to https://maefonline.com/.
The Maryland FFA Foundation
I wrote the by- laws and constitution for the MD FFA Foundation and presented them to the delegates for approval at the 1982 MD FFA Convention. Thus, the beginning. Its purpose is to promote and financially support the educational development of members of the MD FFA Association, Inc. Today the organization is managed by a part time Executive Secretary and governed by a fifteen-member Board of Directors of which a majority are business people. The organization raises funds by acquiring grants, accepting donations and doing fund raisers. For more detail, visit the website at http/mdffafoundation.org.
Concluding Remarks
Thank you, David, for an informative Friday Footnote.
The underlying message of this Footnote is “Where there is a will, there is way.” When state budget cuts threatened the future leadership of agricultural education in the state, an alternative approach was envisioned. What resulted was even greater than imagined.
Another message is it doesn’t hurt to have friends in high places. The governor of the state established a commission on education in agriculture in the 1980s. The legislature and the state secretary of agriculture were supportive of the recommendations of the commission. The Maryland Agricultural Education Foundation was one tangible outcome of this support. What are you doing to cultivate friends in high places?