Codger_64
Moderator
- Joined
- Oct 8, 2004
- Messages
- 62,324
The National Future Farmers Of America Organization was founded by a Federal Charter granted by the 81st Congress of the United States in 1928, and is an integral part of public instruction in agriculture. The U.S. Department of Education provides leadership and helps set direction for the FFA as a service to state and local agricultural education programs.
There are 7,242 chapters in the U.S. with 2006 membership of 495,046 youths of junior high and high school age. 54,489 of these young people attended the National FFA Convention in 2006. My daughter was one of them. As a chapter officer, she will attend the 2007 convention in Indianapolis this October as well. Of course this comes at the end of a long trail of smaller regional meetings competitions, and agricultural events.
What does this have to do with Schrade knives? Imperial Schrade was a very civic minded company and often accepted projects to help wildlife, wetlands, Boy and Girl Scouts, police Departments and small town events. One of the projects they took on was for the Future Farmers Of America, a grassroots educational organization with a presence in every State in the Union, and especially important in rural communities where agriculture has its base.
Schrade produced a selection of knives, the sale of which benefitted the national and local chapters. Our own chapter auctioned a Schrade LB-7 just this last year at the Alumni Scholarship auction. It was provided by Alumnus Codger. It was also won by the same Codger netting the fund $65.00. The cost to Codger for the original purchase and auction purchase? Priceless. Besides, in this century I can say that I walked into a public school with an 8 1/2" hunting knife in a box and walked out with the same in open carry!
I have seen several of the Schrade FFA special etch and Limited Edition knives over the past ten years or so. Some had only a blade etch, some had the FFA blue Delrin handles, serialized brass bolsters, distinctive coined FFA emblem shield and came in a special gift / display box.
The plainest of these knives were the 47OT with only a FFA blade etch, and one of the Irish Tradesman TM-5 knives with blue and yellow handles and etch. The fanciest was a gold filled etched bowie pattern.
Tonight I decided to open this file which I had been avoiding for some time and found some interesting notes on SFO variants, some of which I have seen and some Ive never seen. The file covers the period between 1993 and 1999 so there were likely issues produced after this period which may come to light in the future. Some of the knives presented in the sample request forms may never have seen production beyond the requested samples. The New Item Listing forms give some insight into how many of each were ordered details of construction, and even other companies whose sponsorship benefitted FFA such as tractor and implement companies, Wal-Mart, and agricultural supply companies.
Continued.....
Michael
There are 7,242 chapters in the U.S. with 2006 membership of 495,046 youths of junior high and high school age. 54,489 of these young people attended the National FFA Convention in 2006. My daughter was one of them. As a chapter officer, she will attend the 2007 convention in Indianapolis this October as well. Of course this comes at the end of a long trail of smaller regional meetings competitions, and agricultural events.
What does this have to do with Schrade knives? Imperial Schrade was a very civic minded company and often accepted projects to help wildlife, wetlands, Boy and Girl Scouts, police Departments and small town events. One of the projects they took on was for the Future Farmers Of America, a grassroots educational organization with a presence in every State in the Union, and especially important in rural communities where agriculture has its base.
Schrade produced a selection of knives, the sale of which benefitted the national and local chapters. Our own chapter auctioned a Schrade LB-7 just this last year at the Alumni Scholarship auction. It was provided by Alumnus Codger. It was also won by the same Codger netting the fund $65.00. The cost to Codger for the original purchase and auction purchase? Priceless. Besides, in this century I can say that I walked into a public school with an 8 1/2" hunting knife in a box and walked out with the same in open carry!
I have seen several of the Schrade FFA special etch and Limited Edition knives over the past ten years or so. Some had only a blade etch, some had the FFA blue Delrin handles, serialized brass bolsters, distinctive coined FFA emblem shield and came in a special gift / display box.
The plainest of these knives were the 47OT with only a FFA blade etch, and one of the Irish Tradesman TM-5 knives with blue and yellow handles and etch. The fanciest was a gold filled etched bowie pattern.
Tonight I decided to open this file which I had been avoiding for some time and found some interesting notes on SFO variants, some of which I have seen and some Ive never seen. The file covers the period between 1993 and 1999 so there were likely issues produced after this period which may come to light in the future. Some of the knives presented in the sample request forms may never have seen production beyond the requested samples. The New Item Listing forms give some insight into how many of each were ordered details of construction, and even other companies whose sponsorship benefitted FFA such as tractor and implement companies, Wal-Mart, and agricultural supply companies.
Continued.....
Michael
I became a "Green Hand" in about 1962 when I was initiated into the FFA in a fun-loving ritual that would cause knees to knock and knickers to knot from the ACLU to the US Supreme Court if that was done to kids today. It didn't hurt us one damn bit! We wore it like a badge of honor. You would not believe what the older kids did to us under the direct supervision of our Ag teacher out at the Ag farm where we were bussed for hands-on agricultural instruction back then. Things like that made us who we are today.
