FLEMINGSBURG, Ky. – The Kentucky FFA Foundation recently announced Pitman Creek Wholesale has pledged $25,000 to support leadership development and agricultural education opportunities for FFA members throughout the Bluegrass State.

The funding will help students build skills, expand experiences and make meaningful contributions within their communities and future careers, officials said, adding that the donation will also help fund the Kentucky State FFA Convention, one of the organization’s premier events, and provide support for SAE (Supervised Agricultural Experience) launch grants.

According to the Kentucky FFA Foundation, these grants offer financial assistance to students looking to start or grow entrepreneurial agricultural projects. In addition, the funding will support the creation of videos featuring Kentucky’s State Star winners in production, agribusiness and placement, recognizing outstanding FFA members each year. These awards are given annually to an FFA member who represents “the best of the best in each category.”

Headquartered in Stanford, Ky., Pitman Creek Wholesale is the nation’s largest distributor of freshwater tackle, supplying retailers in all 50 states and several countries, according to company officials.

The business is owned by James Coffey, who is also a personal supporter of Kentucky agriculture and the Kentucky FFA Foundation, officials said. His family’s farm, Branch View Angus, is a multi-generational Angus cattle seedstock operation in Hustonville that hosts Kentucky’s largest Angus sale each April, as well as a sale in October. They recently received an award from Certified Angus Beef, located in Wooster, Ohio.

In 2023, Coffey and his wife, LuAnn, also a Pitman Creek Wholesale board member, established a Forever Blue endowment fund that provides a direct annual gift to FFA chapters in Lincoln and Casey counties: “We want to give kids the opportunity to get to do things they may not otherwise get to do,” James said. “We want to give them the chance to have broader experiences.”

Sheldon McKinney, Kentucky FFA Foundation executive director, said the gift from Pitman Creek Wholesale is a continuation of that commitment: “Pitman Creek is a business that has been very intentionally built in a way that honors its community and rural roots. We are so pleased to partner with an organization that puts into action so many of the principles that we try to instill in our FFA members.”

She told Farm World the Coffeys have been “wonderful donors for many years,” investing in endowed Forever Blue Gifts to their community chapters, Lincoln and Casey County FFA: “They’ve been sponsors of our Gala, and incredible buyers of items. This increase in commitment from Pitman Creek just celebrates their continued commitment to Kentucky FFA’s success, and James’ passion for agriculture entrepreneurship.”

On Sept. 8, the Kentucky FFA Foundation announced a new grant for FFA chapters who have not yet established a Forever Blue endowment fund for the benefit of a specific FFA chapter or program. Once established, the endowment will pay ongoing, annual dividends to the designated chapter; however, an endowment needs at least $10,000 to open, officials said.

Nick Carter, of Lexington, a former Hustonville FFA member and long-time FFA supporter, recently committed to providing a $5,000 matching grant to help up to 11 FFA chapters establish their own Forever Blue fund: “I hope this grant will help chapters in some of our least advantaged counties where the leadership training provided by FFA can be most beneficial,” he said.

To qualify, officials said, the chapter must supply $5,000 and be willing to engage in at least one FFA centennial history and preservation project, such as conducting three or more oral history interviews; developing of a list of past officers, award winners, or advisers; scanning and cataloging old chapter photos or scrapbooks, and creating an online photo archive; and collecting newspaper clippings from the community, or local archives.

In addition, officials said, chapters can also create a documentary-style video that showcases the chapter’s history; develop a list of successful former members and officers with contact information; and present a visual, historical display for the agricultural classroom.

“Establishing a Forever Blue endowment gives an FFA chapter an annual source of income not tied to fundraising, the pressures of the local economy, or school administration,” McKinney said. “Documenting the history of their chapter is something that benefits not only those who came before, but current and future members and supporters.

“Nick’s generous commitment will make it possible for chapters who may not be able to raise the full $10,000 on their own to establish a Forever Blue endowment,” she added. “When you multiply that impact over the years, thousands of students will benefit from this gift.”