THE NATIONAL FFA ORGANIZATION AND DISCOVERY EDUCATION ANNOUNCE A VIRTUAL FIELD TRIP TO EXAMINE THE “SCIENCE BEHIND YOUR FOOD” Dara Klatt, Discovery EducationDara_Klatt@discovery.com, 240.662.3043 Kristy Meyer, National FFA Organizationkmeyer@ffa.org, 317.802.4205 Silver Spring, Md. (May 5, 2017) –Today, the National FFA Organization and Discovery Education, the leading provider of digital education content and professional development for K-12 classrooms, announced a special virtual field trip for high school students nationwide to explore career options in agriculture and STEM. The “Science Behind Your Food” live event takes place on May 11, 2017, at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT from Cargill’s Innovation Center in Wichita, Kansas. During this 40-minute, no-cost virtual experience, classrooms will go inside the world of agriculture to learn how careers in science and technology play a key role in getting food to the table in a safe and affordable way. Students will hear from numerous Cargill employees who represent a variety of careers, from a food marketer to a food scientist and more. In the next five years, the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that the industry of agriculture will have more than 60,000 job openings annually, and an estimated 22,500 of those openings will not have highly skilled graduates to fill them. The virtual field trip gives students an opportunity to learn more about this industry and see what careers may be a fit. The event is another element of the partnership between the National FFA Organization, Discovery Education and AgCareers.com, which last year launched AgExplorer, a career exploration website with career resources to help students explore the broad range of careers in agriculture. AgExplorer features 235 unduplicated agricultural career profiles that include a career description, typical responsibilities, job outlook, education requirements, average salary and links to a college/university database and jobs currently available. “This virtual field trip will help my students see diverse career opportunities in the agricultural industry,” said Patti Grammens, a teacher at Lakeside Middle School in Georgia’s Forsyth County Schools. “From this event and AgExplorer, teachers have resources they need to get students excited about future careers they may not have considered otherwise.” Register for the “Science Behind Your Food” virtual event here. Submit questions in advance for the chance to have them answered live during the Virtual Field Trip; follow us on Twitter at @DiscoveryEd and @NationalFFA; and join the conversation using #AgExplorerVFT. For more information about other virtual field trips and initiatives from Discovery Education, visit www.discoveryeducation.com. About the National FFA OrganizationThe National FFA Organization is a national youth organization of 649,355 student members as part of 7,859 local FFA chapters in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The organization is supported by 225,891 alumni members in 1,934 local FFA Alumni chapters throughout the U.S. The FFA mission is 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. The National FFA Organization operates under a federal charter granted by the 81st United States Congress, and it is an integral part of public instruction in agriculture. The U.S. Department of Education provides leadership and helps set direction for FFA as a service to state and local agricultural education programs. For more, visit the National FFA Organization online at FFA.org, on Facebook, Twitter and the official National FFA Organization blog. About National FFA FoundationThe National FFA Foundation builds partnerships with industry, education, government, other foundations and individuals to secure financial resources that recognize FFA member achievements, develop student leaders and support the future of agricultural education. Governed by a 19-member board of trustees composed of educators, business leaders, individual donors and FFA Alumni, the foundation is a separately registered nonprofit organization. About 82 percent of every dollar received by the foundation supports FFA members and agricultural education opportunities. For more, visit FFA.org/Give. About Discovery EducationDiscovery Education is the global leader in standards-based digital content and professional development for K-12, transforming teaching and learning with award-winning digital textbooks, multimedia content that supports the implementation of Common Core, professional development, assessment tools, and the largest professional learning community of its kind. Serving 4.5 million educators and over 50 million students, Discovery Education’s services are in half of U.S. classrooms, 50 percent of all primary schools the UK, and more than 50 countries. Discovery Education partners with districts, states, and like-minded organizations to captivate students, empower teachers, and transform classrooms with customized solutions that increase academic achievement. Discovery Education is powered by Discovery Communications (NASDAQ: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK), the number one nonfiction media company in the world. Explore the future of education at www.discoveryeducation.com.