The Value of Agricultural Education

Jacob Dickey is being honored as a Champion of Change for his efforts in 4-H and Future Farmers of America.

Growing up, my family always stressed the importance and value of a quality education. Before my grandfather passed away, I often remember him asking how school was going, what I was learning, and how I would apply it to my life. I could always answer the first two questions, but the last one never failed to make me ponder. After a swift chuckle, each time he reminded me to pursue rigorous coursework in Math, Science and English. However, I always remember him stressing to take vocational courses. I never fully understood the importance of his words until I began to pursue agricultural education and became a member of FFA.

Agricultural Education has done more for me than my core academic subjects could have ever done. While I appreciate the knowledge I gained from my calculus and physics classes, none of these courses developed my skills in premier leadership, personal growth and career success. These three skills are the foundation of all agricultural education programs in the United States.

Throughout my years in agriculture education, I have learned about various topics in agriculture- from crop sciences to animal production to business management and more. I have also cultivated the ability to stand up for something I felt passionate about and learned to share my views in front of thousands of people. I developed crucial skills in networking, problem solving, public speaking, leadership and organization. My agricultural education has provided me with an abundance of experiences, from visiting with high school students who have found passion and purpose in agriculture, to traveling to Europe and observing the differences in education and agriculture.

I am forever grateful that I took my grandfather’s wisdom to heart. Each year, FFA and agricultural education give over 520,000 of my fellow students the opportunity to define their future by planting individual seeds of leadership, passion and opportunity. It gives students the chance to apply what they learned into real world situations, and inspires students to go above and beyond in ways many of them have never dreamed. The one thing I will always appreciate the most about agricultural education is the value it places on the world and making a positive difference in the lives of others.

Finding unique and innovative ways to bring agricultural students together with civic organizations was something I felt immensely passionate about. In order to foster growth amongst the members I served, I knew it was important to get students excited to make a difference in the lives of others while inspiring themselves through the process. With the connections I made myself as an FFA member, I brought together businesses and civic organizations in my state, including the Coca Cola Bottlers Association, the Illinois Special Olympics, and numerous local groups and organizations. I started a service campaign dedicated to the Special Olympics, revolving around the last three words of the FFA motto, “Living to Serve.” Once just an idea, the concept turned into a full blown campaign that reached over one-thousand students in schools across Central Illinois. Personally, whenever I think of education, life and serving others, I always think of the quote “go the extra mile; it’s never crowded.”

Reflecting back, I realize that giving the students the chance to make a difference through interacting with those in the community is more powerful than any classroom curriculum. That’s why I believe in the FFA and its ability to shape young teens into powerful leaders of the upcoming generations. The FFA leaves students with a sturdy foundation to go out and achieve dreams, accomplish goals and change the world. The FFA gives students the chance to believe in something larger than their own lives. The FFA inspires students to step up in their schools, their communities and their world, striving for a better tomorrow. The FFA makes a positive difference in the lives of others through premier leadership, personal growth, and career success.

To the FFA members out there reading this, remember at the end of the day that you extend your own life by contributing to something that will outlast you. That's why the FFA is so special. And that's why, when you hang up that blue jacket for the final time, you should continue to love it, to give to it, and to make sure that the opportunities you have been given-the education you have been given- is maintained. You should treat the organization you grew in like a jewel in your life and in your heart because of what it did for you. Regardless of where we go in life after wearing the blue and gold, those of us who wore that corduroy jacket have been bonded by agriculture, inspired to make a difference, and cultivated into the next generation of leaders. We are now, and will always be, forever blue.

Jacob E. Dickey is a sophomore studying Agricultural Education at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Embrace Change

Ridge Howell is being honored as a Champion of Change for his efforts in 4-H and Future Farmers of America.

Let me start by saying how honored I am to be chosen as a White House Champion of Change. I find it incredible to be recognized for something that I enjoy doing. I believe making a difference starts at home through a willingness to embrace change. While sometimes viewed as negative, change is often a really positive thing. Our future depends on change that will be sparked by the youth of our country, one family, one community, one state, one country at a time. In order to really champion change, American youth need to be encouraged to lead and to serve. My goal is to spark this desire in other youth in my hometown and to spread this desire to create change around the country.

I was first inspired about four years ago after my first Oklahoma State FFA Convention.  The primary theme of the convention was to create positive change in our own communities. I learned that I had the opportunities to impact change if I would just seize those opportunities.   Upon returning from the convention I immediately started planning how I could practice making positive changes in my community. I decided to throw myself into community work; this would provide the best opportunity to champion change. Over the next three years, I became involved in every aspect of the community. I found that there are always new and better ways to do things and began seeking out opportunities to make a difference. The first event that I really had a hand in improving was the annual Senior Citizens’ Prom hosted by the Checotah High School Student Council. This project is exactly what it sounds like, a prom for the senior citizens of my community (and yes they do wear tuxedos and formal dresses, and the lady’s always have their hair done). This was a great way to involve many students in a fun way, and it naturally made me want to come up with more and more community service projects!

I helped orchestrate and work a town wide “trash off day” where my fellow FFA members and I hauled off about nineteen tons of trash and debris that had accumulated following two severe ice storms. One of my longest term community service projects is the Senior Citizens’ Lawn Mowing Program. I helped my agriculture education instructor create this program a little over three years ago. Each week during the summer, my fellow FFA members and I go to the local senior citizens’ center and draw two names. These two individuals are the recipients of a free lawn mowing service and sometimes other types of assistance around their homes. The best part of this program is the time spent with these elderly citizens, listening to the stories they tell while we are working. I have learned so many valuable life lessons from their knowledge and wisdom, beyond what I could ever learn in a classroom setting. 

The project I’m most proud of was developed within the last year, following a grant application submitted by my agriculture education teacher. At the end of the 2011-2012 school year, my FFA chapter was selected for a National FFA “Food for All” grant. This grant gave my FFA chapter $2,500 dollars to plant a community garden. As the incoming chapter FFA president, I was able to help build this program from the ground up. To date we have picked over 1,680 pounds of produce including vegetables such as  squash, zucchini, tomatoes, green beans, jalapeno peppers, and eggplant. Through many hours of hard work the garden is still producing today. The produce is taken to our local senior citizen center and distributed to the citizens there. This is another great chance to gain knowledge and wisdom from the elders of my community and to learn more history about my community and my Native American culture.

I’m so thankful for the honor being bestowed upon me and realize I would have never had this opportunity had it not been for the continual support of my agriculture education teacher, Jason McPeak. This man is an example of community service and inspires me to be a service oriented citizen. If I could leave you with one thought, it would be a quote from Aristotle that says: “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” 

Ridge Howell is a high school senior in Checotah, Oklahoma.

Improving Education for American Indians and Alaska Natives

Today, the Obama Administration announced nearly $2 million in competitive grants to Tribal Education Agencies (TEAs) under the State-Tribal Education Partnership – or STEP – program.  During the Department of Education’s 2010 regional tribal consultations, tribal officials consistently expressed concerns about the lack of opportunities for Tribes to meaningfully participate in the education of their own children. The STEP Program is, in part, a response to those concerns, and provides funding intended to elevate the role of Tribal Education Agencies in providing a complete and competitive education to Native American students – in tribal schools as well as in public schools. 

Under the STEP Program, for the first time ever, the Department is  awarding competitive grants to foster greater involvement of Tribal Education Agencies in the education of American Indian and Alaska Native  (AI/AN) students attending public schools. The great majority, some 92 percent, of American Indian and Alaska Native students attend public schools that fall under the jurisdiction of pertinent State and local educational authorities. The STEP Program will provide several Tribes with opportunities to meaningfully participate in the education of their children through increased formal collaboration with States.