FFA New Horizons: History, National FFA Publisher, Content and Staff
Profile updated November 2026
FFA New Horizons is the magazine of the National FFA Organization, mailed twice a year to nearly 1 million FFA members, agricultural educators, lifetime alumni and supporters. It began in 1952 as The National Future Farmer and took its current name in 1989. Each issue features career spotlights, chapter and member achievements, well-known athletes and agriculture industry news.
| First issue | 1952, as The National Future Farmer |
|---|---|
| Renamed | FFA New Horizons, 1989 |
| Publisher | National FFA Organization, 6060 FFA Drive, Indianapolis |
| Content partner | Successful Farming (Dotdash Meredith), Des Moines, Iowa |
| Frequency | Twice a year: spring/summer and fall/winter |
| Reach | Nearly 1 million members, educators, alumni and supporters |
| Official website | FFA.org |
History of FFA New Horizons
The first national FFA publication, Future Farmers of America, appeared in the late 1940s. In 1950 a motion at a meeting of the National FFA Board of Trustees and Advisory Council proposed a dedicated magazine, and The National Future Farmer published its first issue in 1952.
Over the following decades the magazine chronicled the organization and American agriculture: the race to the moon in the late 1950s, the 1960s merger of the New Farmers of America with FFA during the civil rights era, the 1970s farm boom and the 1980s farm crisis. In 1989 it was renamed FFA New Horizons, a name the organization ties to a new era and renewed faith in the future of agriculture.
The magazine marked its 70th anniversary in 2022, by which time it had published more than 100 archived issues and distributed millions of copies to members. An online archive of past issues is hosted by Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis.
FFA New Horizons Today
FFA New Horizons is now published twice a year, a spring/summer and a fall/winter issue, in print and in digital editions on FFA.org. Every FFA member receives both issues. The National FFA Organization produces the content together with Successful Farming, part of Dotdash Meredith in Des Moines, and much of it also runs online in FFA's news section.
Kasey Riebel has served as editor, writing the magazine's editor's notes, including the 70th anniversary reflection.
What FFA New Horizons Is Publishing Now
Careers in agriculture
Career spotlights on jobs from agronomy and animal science to technology, policy and communications, aimed at students planning their futures.
Members and chapters
Stories of chapter and individual accomplishments, Supervised Agricultural Experience projects, national officers and convention highlights.
Personalities and industry
Features on well-known athletes and public figures with FFA or farm ties, plus agriculture industry news.
FFA New Horizons Editors and Staff
FFA New Horizons staff and partners named by the National FFA Organization:
- Kasey Riebel - Editor
- Lauren Quinlan - Contributing writer (2022 anniversary story)
Subscription questions go to newhorizons@FFA.org, per the FFA website.
Who Reads FFA New Horizons
Readers are FFA members, agricultural education teachers and advisors, and lifetime FFA Alumni and Supporters. They are the next generation for a sector in which, according to the 2022 Census of Agriculture, 95% of the country's 1.9 million farms are family farms.
FFA New Horizons readers have learned parliamentary procedure, show-ring etiquette and how to fit a steer before they can legally drive. farm.FM rewards that hard work with farm satire about state convention bus rides, farm humor about early-morning chores and ranch humor for the livestock judging team. Its farm jokes are approved for any blue corduroy jacket pocket.
For context, farm.FM is the nation's first satirical farm site and the home of Tractor Tunes, country music for farmers. Its contributors each keep an archive, and this one is a good sampler of ranch humor and farm jokes.
FFA New Horizons Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- National FFA: About FFA New Horizons - frequency, readership and content.
- National FFA: 8 things to know about FFA New Horizons - history and production partners.
- National FFA: From the editor, happy anniversary - the 70th anniversary history.
- USDA NASS: 2022 Census of Agriculture - national farm structure data.
- USDA ERS: Farm income and wealth statistics - federal data on the farm economy.
FFA New Horizons FAQ
How often is FFA New Horizons published?
Twice a year, with spring/summer and fall/winter issues.
Who receives FFA New Horizons?
All FFA members, plus agricultural educators, lifetime alumni and supporters, nearly 1 million readers.
What was FFA New Horizons called before 1989?
The National Future Farmer, from its first issue in 1952.
Who produces FFA New Horizons?
The National FFA Organization, with content produced together with Successful Farming.
For more than seven decades, FFA New Horizons has shown young people the many futures waiting for them in agriculture.