University of Idaho Agricultural Education, Leadership, and Communications

This semester, Collegiate FFA has been busy planning and executing   activities which help its members grow their professional development skills and provides them with community service opportunities. Here are a few of the highlights from the semester:   Ag Days Each year, UI CALS hosts its annual Ag Days event and each year, CFFA plays an integral role in its success. The livestock judging event, which brings in around 200 participants from Washington, Oregon, and Idaho, is hosted and ran by the CFFA organization. Members arrive hours ahead of line up to prepare the event and then stay until the end serving as group leaders, station monitors, and timers. Additionally, two AEE students , TyAnn Tellefson and Liz Wilder, presented a workshop ,“AgVocate”, to Ag Days participants interested in the agriculture communications field. National Teach Ag Day To celebrate the past, present, and future agriculture educators a group of students passionate about teachi...

According to the National FFA Association, "Individuals who have provided exceptional service on a national level to agriculture, agricultural education, or FFA are eligible for the Honorary American FFA Degree. Additionally, teachers who have created high-quality agricultural education programs which inspire and motivate their students to strive for success are eligible". The award is among the highest of honors within the FFA organization.  University of Idaho Agricultural Education and Extension faculty member, Dr. Kattlyn Wolf received the Honorary American FFA Degree during the 91 st National FFA Convention. When asked about her history in FFA Dr. Kattlyn Wolf responded with “This is the fun one!!  I was a relatively “late bloomer” in FFA. I completed in multiple CDE’s- but never really was a stand-out member or student.  I served as a chapter officer my senior year, and competed at the State level in Extemp speaking.  I placed second and fully expected...

This week, the AEE Department is throwing it back to the 2012-2013 Idaho FFA State Officer Team! 

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!

In honor of Super Bowl Sunday's famous "So God Made a Farmer" commercial, we are throwing it back to when Idaho FFA was fortunate enough to have FFA trucks featuring "So God Made a Farmer"!

Trent Van Leuven, Ag Instructor at Mackay High  School,  shares how he engages students in a diverse array of  diciplines with a hands-on learning enviroment       I changed my major at the University of Idaho from Ag Econ to Ag Ed after Mr. Pratt at Nezperce High School told me that I did a great job on a workshop and that I should consider teaching agriculture.  I had over 700 miles to think about it and had my decision by the time I made it home for Thanksgiving.      Teaching provides many fulfilling moments.  In one class I had a student who never spoke outside of his home present the FFA Creed (to the astonishment of his peers) which began a cascade of speaking in public.  Last year I worked on a surprise for a student as she won the Culver’s Essay competition.  Each year I enjoy seeing students marvel at the size of the FFA membership in the opening session at the National FFA Convention—in which I get t...

Townsend Ag Instructor Jemma Morrow shares the rewards of starting a new FFA chapter I grew up in 4-H with my sister. We had small animals including chickens and rabbits. When I was in the 8th grade, students from the Agricultural Center came to recruit students for the Ag Program the following year. I was really interested so I signed up for the class. As a sophomore I got really involved with Career Development Events and attending FFA Meetings. My passion for agriculture and FFA grew quickly. At the beginning of my senior year, I knew I wanted to pursue Agricultural Education and I applied at the University of Idaho. My four years there allowed me to meet teachers around the state of Idaho and start to network. I am so lucky to have had that experience. Once I graduated, I accepted the job in Townsend, Montana, starting a brand new program. I was glad I got to see what Idaho Ag Ed was like and mix my experiences to create the program that I am at. ...

 By Maggie Elliot University of Idaho’s department of Agricultural and Extension Education led an important role at the National FFA Convention and Expo. Faculty assisted with the Agriscience Fair, Prepared Public Speaking, and Parliamentary Procedure CDE, of which nine Collegiate FFA members helped to facilitate. Very few universities offer Agricultural Education students the opportunity to facilitate CDE’s on a national level. Members ran scorecards, took notes, recorded time, and graded minutes, but perhaps the most valuable aspect of working at the convention was examining the interactions between advisors and students in the competitive environment. “Experiential Learning is a cornerstone of what we expect of our teachers and by using this experience to develop our teachers, they become witness to its effectiveness.” Said Assistant Professor Dr. Jeremy Falk. “Our students conduct daily reflections as a group and their insights are above par, including: int...

by Maggie Elliot  Maggie Elliot, Logan Zepp, and Morgan Howard at the 2016 New Century Farmers Conference The challenges surrounding modern agriculture are daunting. Producers must be mindful of the sustainability of their practices, taking into account soil, water, and air quality. They must produce in an era with shifting precipitation patterns and climate changes. They must keep an eye on emerging technologies to maximize the efficiency of their production, and market their commodity to a global economy of consumers, with many who have been removed from the food and fiber system for generations. The New Century Farmers program, administered by the National FFA Organization seeks to expose young adults engaged in production agriculture to the wealth of resources available to producers and provide insight into the tumultuous profession. Myself and two other vandals, Logan Zepp and fellow ASCL major Morgan Howard joined 30 other students in Iowa in July for th...