Posted July 24, 2013

The Iowa Pork Producers Association has taken steps to help ensure the training and education of the next generation of farm leaders.

IPPA has pledged $200,000 to the Iowa FFA Foundation in support of the FFA Enrichment Center on the Des Moines Area Community College campus in Ankeny. The gift supports the foundation’s recently announced BELIEVE campaign to retire debt incurred in the construction of the 60,000 square-foot facility. To date, more than $500,000 has been raised and the Iowa FFA Foundation hopes to complete fundraising this summer.

This facility is designed to help prepare future generations of Iowans for a career in agribusiness, ag-sciences and veterinary technologies and ensure they have access to the best available training, educational and conference facilities.

“The Iowa Pork Producers Association has been and will continue to be a strong supporter of FFA,” said IPPA President Greg Lear, a hog farmer and businessman from Spencer. “Young people are the future of agriculture and we’re proud to contribute to this facility and capital campaign.”

“The Iowa Pork Producers Association’s generous gift will help ensure our students have a high-quality facility for working with, caring for and learning about careers in agriculture, agriculture sciences and agriculture leadership skills,” said Joshua Remington, executive director of the Iowa FFA Foundation. “We appreciate the pork producers’ commitment and the many ways IPPA has led the way in strengthening FFA programs in support of all fields of agriculture in Iowa.”

The FFA Enrichment Center opened in 2010 as a multipurpose conference, training and educational facility designed to focus on the FFA and the agricultural education community, but the picturesque facility also is home to many business and social events.

The center features a mixed-use educational facility and office building featuring meeting rooms, office areas, and an exhibition hall. The facility also houses two computer labs, a veterinary technician laboratory, teaching and biotechnology laboratories and additional classrooms for DMACC use. With approximately 20,000 square feet of conference center space and a beautiful two-story lobby/exhibit hall area, groups ranging from 10-700 people can comfortably be accommodated for rental opportunities.

“FFA is instrumental in helping young people who are interested in a career in agriculture, and the enrichment center is a first-class facility that is helping educate and train tomorrow’s farm leaders.” Lear added.

FFA was founded by a group of young farmers in 1928 who accepted the challenge to prepare future generations for the task of feeding a growing population. Today, FFA members are future biologists, chemists, veterinarians, engineers and entrepreneurs of America.

The Iowa Pork Producers Association is an industry-inclusive organization whose mission is to provide a unified voice to promote and educate for a sustainable, socially responsible, profitable and globally competitive pork industry.