Becoming What the Future Needs

Before most teenagers roll out of bed, Mathias Yelton is already on the grain scale. At Sunrise Cooperative’s Uniopolis branch, the 18-year-old grades crop loads, chats with farmers about market prices, and logs full-time hours in a job he loves. Just weeks earlier, he was sitting in a high school classroom. Now, he’s part of a workforce pipeline built to shape the future of agriculture.

Meanwhile, while Dakota Parrish’s peers were asking, “What now?” she had already clocked in. Hired straight out of Crestview High School through Ohio FFA Works, she landed a full-time job with Mercer Landmark; loading trucks, running payloader equipment, and charting a future in agriculture. And, she’s not alone.

“Most kids have to sit at graduation and ask, ‘What am I doing with my life?’” said Parrish. “I had a plan, and my parents got to see me walk across that stage knowing what came next. It felt good. It felt really, really good.”

That’s the impact of Ohio FFA Works, a program powered by the Ohio FFA Foundation in partnership with enrolled companies like Sunrise Cooperative and Mercer Landmark. Launched from the success of Sunrise’s RISE FFA Career Program in the fall of 2023, the initiative connects dues-paying FFA members with full-time, career-track positions across Ohio’s agricultural landscape.

That kind of connection for students with employers is the first of its kind. Ohio FFA Works is the first FFA-to-career pipeline in the nation, built by the Ohio FFA Foundation. Since its launch, other states have taken notice, looking to mirror its model and the results it’s produced in the last three years.

Since expanding to include more company partners, the program has gained traction for its practical model with real results: connecting qualified FFA members with companies actively seeking talent.

And the proof that it’s working? It’s in the numbers. In just two years, 28 FFA members have been hired through Ohio FFA Works. Last year alone, six companies partnered with the program, promoting 12 different positions. Likewise, there’s a bonus: When a company hires an FFA member, that student’s chapter gets rewarded. So far, $15,000 has been donated to local programs.

At Sunrise specifically, 53 students have been hired through the RISE FFA Career Program, maintaining an impressive 85% retention rate. And as an added perk for Ohio FFA members, six trucks have been awarded to the company’s top hires. This year’s recipient was Cooper Zunis, a graduate of the Western Reserve FFA Chapter.

Unlike their peers, these aren’t internships or short-term placements. Members are entering the workforce with full-time pay, benefits, and access to retirement plans just months after high school graduation. For many, it’s more than a job offer — it’s a chance to build a life.

“We’re not discrediting college; we’re just bringing the direct-to-workforce path up to the same level of celebration that college is,” said Morgan Niedermier, Vice President of Marketing at Sunrise Cooperative and lead ideator behind the RISE program. “These students are driven, coachable, and community-minded. That is exactly who we want on our team and in our workforce.”

As the workforce ages and the economy evolves, the need for talent grows more urgent, and that’s where Ohio FFA members rise to the challenge. Through hands-on learning, leadership development, and career-focused training, Ohio FFA prepares students to be dependable, adaptable, and ready to get their hands dirty. For them, learning by doing isn’t just a motto — it’s a mindset. Our students show up early, stay late, and bring real value to every team they join. With Ohio FFA Works, the Ohio FFA Foundation is doing more than creating opportunities; it’s building the future of agriculture one job, one opportunity, and one FFA member at a time.

written by Morgan Anderson, Ohio FFA