A study investigated whether Future Farmers of America (FFA) members and non-members differed in their perception of FFA programs and services and whether their perceptions were influenced by gender and ethnicity, enrollment choice, prior enrollment in an agricultural class, block scheduling, grade level, and extracurricular activities. A questionnaire was administered to 404 first-year students enrolled in the Agriscience Applications course in 27 high schools in North Carolina. Participants responded by indicating the strength of their agreement or disagreement with 18 statements regarding FFA's programs and services. Statistical analyses included the Pearson Product Moment Correlation and multivariate analysis. Findings indicated a student's decision to join or not join the FFA was influenced by his/her perception of the image of FFA programs and services; a student's gender, ethnicity, enrollment choice, prior enrollment in an agriculture class, block scheduling, grade level, and extracurricular activities did not influence his/her perceptions of FFA programs and services. Students tended to join and participate in FFA when they believed it was able to meet a student's need for a sense of belonging. The social aspects of the organization were motivating factors in students' desire to be FFA members. (Contains 11 references.) (YLB)