Agricultural Proficiency Award Program
Overview
The Agricultural Proficiency Awards program challenges students to set goals and apply skills to achieve those goals. The program rewards FFA members at the local, state and national level for exceptional accomplishment in their Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) programs.
Forty-seven proficiency areas are awarded by the Nebraska FFA Association each year. They range from crop and livestock production to agricultural mechanics; forage production to turf grass management; and agricultural processing to sales and service.
Each year, the top three applicants are interviewed at the State FFA Convention and a winner is recognized on stage. The state winner competes to be a finalist at the National FFA Convention.
Current Sponsorship Opportunities
Sponsorship of a specific Agricultural Proficiency Award is $500, which is used to provide recognition and awards to students as well as to offset the costs of administering the program. Sponsorships are currently available for the following awards:
- Fruit Production – Partial Sponsorship Available at $250
- Nursery Operations – Full Sponsorship Available at $500
Sponsor Benefits and Visibility
Sponsorship of the Agricultural Proficiency Award Program provides many benefits, as well as visibility for the organization involved:
- Affiliation with largest agriculture-based, youth membership organization in Nebraska.
- Recognition as a sponsor in the State FFA Convention program book: 5,000 printed and provided to students, parents, teachers and guests at convention and after in various mailings and promotions.
- Invitation to serve as a judge for evaluating the three state finalists, to determine the state winner.
- Invitation to present awards on stage at the State FFA Convention.
- Organization name and logo on the stage screen during the awards presentation – Thursday night of the State FFA Convention with over 3,000 in attendance.
- Invitation to attend the Sponsor Recognition Reception/Dinner at the State FFA Convention – an opportunity to network with other leaders in the agricultural and natural resources industry.
- Listing of Nebraska FFA Foundation sponsors – provided to all 130 agriculture teachers/FFA advisors in the state.
Budget
Sponsorship of the Agricultural Proficiency Award Program helps to provide recognition and awards to students and offset the costs of administering the program.
The budget for each of the 47 Proficiency Award areas is:
| $ | 150 |  | Cash awards to State Finalists - $100 for 2nd Place and $50 for 3rd Place (Note: the national-level sponsor provides the $250 cash award to the state winner as a part of their national level sponsorship.) |
| $ | 175 | | Plaques and certificates for the three State Finalists, the state winner, and the District/State Gold, Silver and Bronze winners |
| $ | 135 | | Meals for Finalists and Parents at the State FFA Convention (9 Individuals) |
| $ | 10 | | Judging Materials for the State FFA Convention |
| $ | 30 | | Overhead costs of program (facilities for state interviews, printing/postage) |
| ------ | |
| $ | 500 | | Total requested amount for each Proficiency Award Sponsorship |
To learn more about these sponsorship opportunities, contact Tammy Meyer, Nebraska FFA Foundation Executive Director at 402.472.5224 or tammy@neffafoundation.org.
Career Development Events (CDE)
Overview
The FFA is committed to equipping members with skills they can apply to be successful in their careers. Career Development Events (CDE) create a connection between classroom instruction and hands-on experiences that represent real-life situations. From food science to agricultural sales, CDEs focus on major areas of agricultural instruction providing supporters with an opportunity to support a CDE related to their business interests.
All CDEs are reviewed periodically with industry specialists to update the content and evaluation design. Each event tests student’s knowledge of the subject through a written examination. The events also provide the opportunity for a team of students to make decisions through problem solving activities, demonstrate scientific applications and explore career opportunities.
Current Sponsorship Opportunities
Career Development Events available for sponsorship include: - Floriculture – Full Sponsorship Available at $550
- Food Science – Full Sponsorship Available at $550
- Livestock Management Event specific species areas:
- Poultry Production – Partial Sponsorship at $220
Sponsor Benefits and Visibility
Sponsorship of Career Development Events for the Nebraska FFA Association provides many benefits, as well as visibility: - Affiliation with largest agriculture-based, youth membership organization in Nebraska.
- Recognition as a sponsor in the State FFA Convention program book : 5,000 printed and provided to students, parents, teachers and guests at convention and after in various mailings and promotions.
- Invitation to present awards on stage at the State FFA Convention.
- Organization name and logo on the stage screen during the awards presentation – Friday afternoon of the State FFA Convention with nearly 1,000 in attendance.
- Invitation to attend the Sponsor Recognition Reception/Dinner at the State FFA Convention – an opportunity to network with other leaders in the agricultural and natural resources industry.
- Listing of Nebraska FFA Foundation sponsors – provided to all 130 agriculture teachers/FFA advisors in the state.
Budget Information
Sponsorship of a Career Development Event at the Nebraska State FFA Convention helps to provide the recognition and awards to the students, as well as offset the costs of administering the program.
Full state sponsorship is $550. The budget for the program is as follows:
| $ | 280 | | Plaques, Medals and Ribbons – Plaques are given to top three teams; medals to individuals within the top three teams and the top individuals of the competition; and ribbons are given to other participating teams and members, reaching a certain score. |
| $ | 220 | | Awards Ceremony Facility Rental – This is a shared cost between all Career Development Events for the Friday afternoon Awards Ceremony. |
| $ | 50 | | General Fund – This helps in covering the costs for administering the CDE Awards Program. |
| ------ | |
| $ | 550 | | Total Requested Amount |
To learn more about these sponsorship opportunities, contact Tammy Meyer, Nebraska FFA Foundation Executive Director at 402.472.5224 or tammy@neffafoundation.org.
