Chapter History

1957: 12 local farmers purchased 40 acres for the Wilton Junction FFA. The FFA chapter paid the farmers back with 4% interest. 

1972:  A shed was built on the farm to house small equipment.

1982:  Students and community volunteers built a 6,700 bushel grain bin

• The first Annual Fall Field day was held and sponsored by Wilton Savings Bank (now Community Bank and Trust)
• The Chapter rented a barn outside of town and began a livestock raising program

1983: Students designed and built a hog facility on the FFA farm. The barn was designed to raise two pigs per pen, a slatted floor with a manure pit below. In one weekend, chapter members and 18 dads built the original 70’ x 40’ pole building at the FFA Farm.

Late 1990s: Mr. Hammes added more pens in the hog facility 

2003: A dirt floor Sheep barn extension was added

2006: Poultry barn was built

2016: New swine pens were added and concrete floors were poured in both the swine and sheep barns

• Cement retaining walls were built for the compost pile

2018: Goat projects were added to the FFA Farm

• Thanks to the Townsend Foundation the FFA Farm was pattern tiled

2020: Thanks to the Townsend Foundation a 24 foot livestock trailer was purchased for the FFA chapter

2021: Thanks to the Townsend Foundation 

• A 8,000 bushel grain bin was built
• Bulk feed bins were added to the FFA Farm
• A F-250 Truck was purchased for the FFA chapter

Students have manganged the farm since its purchase in 1957. Yields on the farm have jumped from an average of 140 bu/acre in the 1980's to 200 bu/ac in 2022, soybeans from 40 bu/ac in 1980's to 70+ bu/ac in 2021. This was the FIRST FFA farm in the state of Iowa. 

2024: The Townsend Foundation purchased an 6/11 row Kenzie planter for the agricultural

program

2025: Ag Mechanics class partially enclosed the sheep/goat barn and added 8 4x8’ stalls.