DULUTH, GA — AGCO Corporation (NYSE:AGCO), a worldwide distributor and manufacturer of agricultural equipment, AGCO Finance and AGCO-affiliated dealerships across the country are providing more than $166,000 in grants and scholarships in support of local FFA Chapters and the 2017 National FFA Collegiate Scholarship Program. Providing grants to local FFA Chapters is the newest aspect of more than 70 years of support from AGCO and its brands and an effort AGCO leadership, dealers and the local chapters are especially excited about.

“Several of the Massey Ferguson®, Challenger® and Gleaner® dealers throughout the AGCO network asked us for a way to support the activities and needs of FFA chapters in their local communities. In response, we expanded our scholarship program to provide AGCO dealer grants,” Alistair McLelland, vice president of marketing, North America explains. “The first grants were presented three years ago, and we’ve seen those investments put to work in some very thoughtful and beneficial ways.” A few examples include:

  • Saranac FFA in Saranac, Mich., was in desperate need of technology in their classroom, so they used the funds to purchase Chromebook™ laptops for students to use when completing lab assignments.
  • At the Kern County FFA in Lake Isabella, Calif., the funds had a significant impact through the chapter’s annual Food for America program where students educate kindergarteners about the importance of agriculture. More than 700 kindergarteners were engaged through hands-on education and chapter members honed their presentation and “Agvocacy” skills. The grant also helped provide education materials and products that were given to each of the elementary groups.
  • Jordan-Matthews FFA in Siler City, N.C., is putting up a new fence around raised garden beds at the school as they expand the hands-on learning aspects for their Horticulture curriculum.
  • Jackson County Central FFA, in Jackson, Minn., used their grant to send members to the Minnesota State FFA Convention. 
  • The Briggsdale FFA Chapter in Briggsdale, Colo., applied its grant to cover the costs of registration for conferences and contests, providing opportunities that help students better understand the agricultural industry. Students benefit from meeting industry professionals, as well as through exploring college campuses that offer a wide range of agricultural degree options. The grants help offset an expense that some families can't afford. 

For the 2016-2017 scholarship year, AGCO and more than 40 of the company’s dealers provided 118 scholarships to deserving FFA members and 30 grants to local chapters in the dealers’ communities. Fourteen state associations of those selected chapters also received  $200 grants.

AGCO’s support for the National FFA Collegiate Scholarship Program began in 2011 and involves financial contributions from the local dealer and AGCO with the chapter grants added in 2014. The financial support is just one way the company and its employees express their appreciation and support for FFA and today’s youth. AGCO also is involved at the National FFA Convention & Expo each year and enlists the Gilbert, Iowa, High School FFA Chapter to help grow crops for the company’s Farm Progress exhibit near Boone, Iowa. These activities extend a 72-year partnership between the National FFA Organization and the company’s brands, one of the longest standing partnerships of FFA.

AGCO and AGCO Finance-sponsored scholarships make up just a few of the 1,883 scholarships awarded by the National FFA Organization to 2017 high school graduates and select college students. This year, students shared a total of more than $2.7 million contributed by sponsoring companies, which was a record amount for the National FFA Organization. Recipients were chosen from 8,337 students who applied for the scholarships. Awards were based on academic records, FFA achievements, leadership, and other school and community activities. Supervised agricultural experience programs and future goals also were considered. 

“Many AGCO employees benefitted from the premier leadership, personal growth and career success fostered by FFA, so we know first-hand the program’s importance in developing the agricultural industry’s future leaders,” says McLelland. “AGCO congratulates FFA on making a positive difference in the lives of students and helping meet our industry’s challenges. We are proud to be a long-term supporter of FFA.”

AGCO extends its best wishes to all scholarship and grant recipients and success academically and professionally in the years that follow.

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©2017 AGCO Corporation. Massey Ferguson is a worldwide brand of AGCO. Challenger is a registered trademark of Caterpillar, Inc., used under license by AGCO. Gleaner is a registered trademark of AGCO. Chromebook is a trademark of Google Inc.

About AGCO

AGCO (NYSE: AGCO) is a global leader in the design, manufacture and distribution of agricultural solutions and supports more productive farming through its full line of equipment and related services. AGCO products are sold through five core brands, Challenger®, Fendt®, GSI®, Massey Ferguson® and Valtra®, supported by Fuse® precision technologies and farm optimization services, and are distributed globally through a combination of over 3,000 independent dealers and distributors in more than 150 countries. Founded in 1990, AGCO is headquartered in Duluth, GA, USA. In 2016, AGCO had net sales of $7.4 billion. For more information, visit http://www.AGCOcorp.com. For company news, information and events, please follow us on Twitter: @AGCOCorp. For financial news on Twitter, please follow the hashtag #AGCOIR.

About National FFA Organization

The National FFA Organization is a national youth organization of 649,355 student members as part of 7,859 local FFA chapters in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The organization is supported by 225,891 alumni members in 1,934 local FFA Alumni chapters throughout the U.S. The FFA mission is to make a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education. The National FFA Organization operates under a federal charter granted by the 81st United States Congress and it is an integral part of public instruction in agriculture. The U.S. Department of Education provides leadership and helps set direction for FFA as a service to state and local agricultural education programs. For more, visit the National FFA Organization online at FFA.org and on Facebook, Twitter and the official National FFA Organization blog.

About National FFA Foundation

The National FFA Foundation builds partnerships with industry, education, government, other foundations and individuals to secure financial resources that recognize FFA member achievements, develop student leaders and support the future of agricultural education. Governed by a 19-member board of trustees composed of educators, business leaders, individual donors and FFA Alumni, the foundation is a separately registered nonprofit organization. About 82 percent of every dollar received by the foundation supports FFA members and agricultural education opportunities. For more, visit FFA.org/Give.