University of Idaho Agricultural Education, Leadership, and Communications

by Molly Sparrow The agricultural education program has had a great month, but one event has really stood out. Oct. 12-14 the department took five students, Dino Vinci, Molly Sparrow, Chelsey Sharp, Samantha Gunderson and Michael Cook on a three day adventure to visit agricultural education programs across the state of Oregon. The group was chaperoned by Associate Professor Jeremy Falk who helped to facilitate and select programs to visit. The group of six visited the Enterprise, Imbler and Hermiston ag education programs. Each of these programs provided unique opportunities and learning opportunities for these future ag educators.  Finally, to end the trip the group attended the Oregon Agricultural Teacher’s Association technical training. The students attended three different workshops that helped to prepare them to be educators such as agriscience prep, secondary literacy and using technology in the classroom. It was a great trip for everyone involved.

In honor of the 90th National FFA Convention taking place right now in Indianapolis, Indiana, this week the AEE Department is throwing it back to the last National Officer from Idaho, Seth Pratt! Seth served as the 2011-2012 Western Region Vice President. The AEE Department is also sending the best of luck to Idaho's National Officer Candidate, Gretchen Hansten! Gretchen has advanced to the final round of the national officer selection process. Make sure you watch Saturday during the final general session to see the final results and cheer Gretchen on!

CFFA Members stopped at the Columbus Zoo on their way to Indianapolis National FFA Convention week is here! Every year faculty from the department of Agricultural and Extension Education aid in the facilitation of three national Career Development Events, and this year eight members of Collegiate FFA are joining these professors in Indianapolis, helping to coordinate the Parliamentary Procedure, Prepared Public Speaking, and Agriscience Fair contests.  We also wish the best of luck to Gretchen Hansten who is serving as Idaho FFA’s National Officer Candidate and has worked hard to pursue her dream of serving as a National FFA Officer. Seventeen students from the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences will be receiving their American FFA degrees on Saturday. University of Idaho's Collegiate FFA is proud to serve at National Convention and help make learning opportunities available for FFA members all over the country!

By Ben Meyer, National FFA's Local Program Successs Team Specialist for the western region With the 90 th  National FFA Convention and Expo right around the corner, here are a few tips for a great week in the Circle City of Indianapolis!   Recommendations for ag educators: 1.       Be sure to complete the online registration process found at  www.ffa.org  before arriving in Indianapolis.  After receiving the registration confirmation email, then be sure to link student names to each registration purchased.  Doing this online before arriving in Indianapolis will save at least 45 minutes of waiting in registration lines. 2.       If a chapter is bringing a competitive team/individual for CDE/LDE participation, be sure to download and print the “2017 Event Information” letter found on the homepage of each CDE/LDE.  The most current information about each event i...

Saturday, October 7 th Collegiate FFA members gathered as part of the College of Agricultural and Life Science’s Ag Days event and facilitated a livestock judging competition. This contest annually attracts teams from all over the region, and over 100 high school students competed. We wish all participants the best of luck in their future contests!

Midterms are next week! This point of the semester can be a stressful time. Here are some tips from AEE department seniors, veterans of midterm week, to help you stay on track and excel in your studies. Campus is stunning this time of year! Make time to take a break from your studies and explore the scenery!   Gabby Munson Although it is in my nature to procrastinate, through my college experience I have realized that setting time aside early to commit to studying for different classes reduces much of the anxiety associated with a big midterm exam. Another habit I’ve found helpful that   decreases stress is to compile a list of questions about lecture material.   And ask them! Approach your professors during their office hours and learn more about the subject matter. The material becomes easier to remember on the test when you have had personal interaction with the instructor. RyAnna Carter   My advice is to find a group of people to ...