NW Farm Credit Services makes $500K endowment gift to support Oregon FFA

CORVALLIS, Ore. (KTVZ) -- The Oregon FFA Foundation received its largest single gift with a donation of $500,000 from Northwest Farm Credit Services to establish an “Oregon FFA Today and Tomorrow” endowment.

Foundation President, Kirk Maag said, “We are deeply humbled and grateful to Northwest Farm Credit Services and the leadership of Brent Fetsch and his team for their continuing and generous investment in the lives of FFA members. This ground-breaking seed gift gives us the foundation to establish an endowment fund that will provide support for the Oregon FFA Association in perpetuity. This will ensure that Oregon FFA can continue 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.”

Brent Fetsch, Oregon President of Northwest Farm Credit Services stated, “As part of Northwest Farm Credit’s stewardship commitment to improve the lives of our customers, communities, and industries we serve, we are investing funds in education and research across the Northwest.” Fetsch, a former Oregon State FFA Officer and current secretary of the Oregon FFA Foundation Board of Directors said, “Students who participate in FFA are more likely to graduate from high school and 93% continue their education beyond high school.”

Fetsch said, “We hope others will join us by investing in ‘Oregon FFA Today and Tomorrow’ to provide a stable source of funding well into the future. We are grateful for the impactful work Oregon FFA does for over 11,000 students, communities and agriculture. We are especially thankful for the over 160 agricultural science teachers and FFA advisors who are a powerful and positive influence on these young lives. We are proud to partner with Oregon FFA to achieve great things for agriculture and rural communities.”

Oregon FFA Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization. The mission of the Foundation is to coordinate sustainable, long-term funding for agriculture education and Oregon FFA.