A study collected information from 52 of the 53 state Future Farmers of America (FFA) executive secretaries who were sent questionnaires on middle school student enrollment in agricultural education and membership in the national FFA organization. Results showed that 30 states have agricultural education programs in the middle school level, with a total of 52,968 students enrolled. Additionally, 19 states reported having FFA membership at that level, with an estimated 17,722 middle school students being members of FFA. Middle school agricultural education programs last from 6 to 36 weeks in length, with the average being 17 weeks. Some of the conclusions reached by the study were the following: (1) middle school agricultural education programs are not a new development; (2) most of the states include competitive events for middle school FFA members; (3) middle school agricultural education programs include a core curriculum of plant science, career exploration, agricultural literacy, animal science, conservation, and mathematics; (4) student benefits included increased agricultural knowledge, increased participation in FFA activities, career awareness, leadership development, reduced dropout rates, and increased self-esteem; and (5) the major disadvantages of middle school student participation were increased burnout, duplication of course work from the high school, increased competition with other courses, and a reduction of time available for other career exploration. Seven recommendations for improving middle school agricultural education were offered. (KC)