Brandon Roiger joined the National FFA when he was 14, stayed involved in it for a decade and says it's done him a world of good.
That's why he wants the group once known as the Future Farmers of America to be more diverse and inclusive.
"It's an organization that's been so valuable," Roiger said. "But also it's had a lot of systemic issues that result in barriers to participation."
Roiger, a native of Sleepy Eye, Minn., who now works at the University of Minnesota, explained his critical views of the organization in an online essay last week that gained attention in FFA chapters and with the organization's leadership.
In it, he said the FFA is not respectful enough of Latinos, not aggressive enough in promoting women of color to leadership positions, has a dress code that marginalizes people who don't subscribe to conventional gender norms and in general reflects a leadership that's predominantly white, heterosexual and Christian.
Leaders of the organization say they are listening to Roiger, who was recently one of its student leaders.
"It drove home that the work that we're doing at National FFA to elevate inclusion, diversity and equity in the organization is important," said Mark Poeschl, CEO of National FFA, based in Indianapolis. "We want to make FFA a welcoming place for all students."
Like many industries, farming is caught up in a swirl of demographic and economic change. The number of active farms has declined sharply for two generations. White people still own the vast majority of farms, but farm laborers are predominantly Hispanic. National immigration issues are shaped in part by that.