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Tag: Teach Ag

Advisor Forum presents November Charlie Award

Posted on by Rachel Waggie

submitted by Beth Stuewe for the K-State Today, November 6, 2019

The K-State Advisor Forum has selected Brandie Disberger, instructor in agricultural education, for the November Charlie award.

Disberger was nominated by her colleague, Gaea Hock, for the work that she does for both her advisees and students who have been reinstated in the College of Agriculture.

As an instructor, academic advisor, advisor to the agricultural education student organization and current doctoral student, Disberger sets a high standard in her department. In her nomination, Hock writes, “Brandie’s work ethic and dedication to students makes all of the faculty advisors in the department push to be better. We constantly go to her to ask her advice.”

Not only does Disberger encourage her peers, but she also encourages her students. Disberger encourages her students to push to get to the next level in their academic studies and extracurricular activities. She inspires them to take advantage of new opportunities as a way to better themselves for their future careers. Along with her current students, Disberger also works with newly reinstated students in the College of Agriculture. She encourages them and helps them be successful so that they can accomplish their goals of completing a degree.

Hock adds, “Brandie constantly goes above and beyond to make sure her students’ needs are being met. She is able to get them to open up to her and tell her their struggles. I have seen her go to extreme measures to help students succeed.”

Agricultural Education video wins contest

Posted on by Rachel Waggie

by Linda Gilmore

K-State agricultural education students won the Collegiate Commercial Contest, sponsored by the National Association of Agricultural Educators. Zachary Callaghan, student in agricultural education, designed the video featuring many K-State Ag Ed students. The video competed against nine other university submissions and the winner was based on number of views. The K-State entry received more than 2,500 views. The video Zachary and other ag ed students created to highlight the program is available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQ9u4XWw7BQ

2019 National Teach Ag Day

Posted on by Rachel Waggie

by Rachel Waggie, agricultural education and communication master’s student

Join us in celebrating the 2019 National Teach Ag Day Thursday, September 19. National Teach Ag Day is designed to encourage others to teach school-based agriculture and recognize the important role that agriculture teachers play in our schools and communities. To celebrate, some of K-State’s agricultural education students will be going “live” on Facebook from local schools on Thursday. Make sure to tune in by visiting and “liking” K-State Agricultural Education on Facebook.

Agricultural Education at Kansas Ag Summit

Posted on by Rachel Waggie

by Rachel Waggie, agricultural education and communication master’s student

The Kansas Department of Agriculture invited the K-State Ag Ed teaching interns to the fourth annual Kansas Summit on Agricultural Growth on Thursday, August 29, in Manhattan, Kansas. The Summit was attended by 450+ Kansas farmers, ranchers and agribusinesses. The program’s Facebook page says, “the networking, conversations and learning that happened at the event will serve rural communities across the state!”

K-State agricultural education earns national recognition

Posted on by Rachel Waggie

by Rachel Waggie, agricultural education and communication master’s student

The National Association of Agricultural Educators recently recognized K-State’s agricultural education program as Region II’s Outstanding Post Secondary Agricultural Program. The agricultural education faculty includes Brandie Disberger, Gaea Hock and Jon Ulmer. Congratulations on this well-deserved award.

Emerging Agricultural Technology: New Course Explores Technology in Agriculture

Posted on by Deanna Reid

By Deanna Reid, agricultural education and communication master’s student

Students learn about wind energy at Cloud Community College.

AGED 212 emerging agricultural technology, a new agricultural education class, allows students to explore topics that can be covered in the power structural technical systems pathway in an agricultural education program. As part of the class, students participate in tours and hands-on learning around the state. This semester, students have learned about new the K-State Polytechnic unmanned aerial systems program, alternative energy at Cloud County Community College, the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering at K-State, and more.

Students tour the K-State Polytechnic campus in Wildcat style.

 

 

 

Through these tours, they learned about the use of drones, wind, and solar technology in agriculture and agricultural education, discovered postsecondary education and career options, and explored teaching methods for new technology concepts.

 

 

Monte Poersch at Cloud County Community College hosted the AGED 212 class and explained alternative energy. Students were introduced to career opportunities in wind and solar and many ways to teach those concepts in agricultural education classes.

Monte Poersch explains alternative energy sources.

 

The class also toured the biological and agricultural engineering program at K-State where Dr. Stacy Hutchinson described and demonstrated integrated systems management in agriculture. The education students were challenged to teach their students how to solve agricultural challenges of the future.

Dr. Stacy Hutchinson tells students about the biodiversity and agricultural engineering program at K-State.

Agricultural Education Students Assist at National MANRRS Conference

Posted on by Deanna Reid

By Deanna Reid, agricultural education and communication master’s student

MANRRS students enjoy science-based learning.

K-State agricultural education students helped with the 34th Annual National Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences (MANRRS) Conference in Overland Park on April 6. K-State agricultural education students facilitated workshops to teach high school students from across the country about renewable energy, biotechnology, food science, soil conservation, and plant and animal science.

About the event, Jon Ulmer stated,

K-State junior Matthew Milholm teaches during the 34th annual conference.

“We want to thank K-State MANRRS, Compass Minerals, and Zelia Wiley for giving our students the opportunity to teach Jr. MANRRS members about agriculture at their national conference.” MANRRS promotes academic and professional advancement by empowering minorities in the fields of agriculture, natural resources, and related sciences.

High school students learn from Casey Ballard and Matthew Milholm, juniors K-State agricultural education.

Agricultural Education: A Major Worth Considering

Posted on by Deanna Reid
K-State alumna Alex Walters

Growing up in Plainville, Kansas, Alexandra Walters considered a career in social work, but decided early on to teach about agriculture. A 2018 graduate of K-State, Walters is a first-year agriculture education teacher at Peabody-Burns Middle School-High School in Peabody, Kansas, where she teaches classes in plant science, animal science, food science, agricultural mechanics and others.

“My students enjoy anything they get to design themselves,” she said, adding that her high school food-science students created their own Christmas cookie business.

Walters is teaching in what’s part of a growing trend in middle schools and high schools across the country to offer agricultural education programs, and colleges and universities cannot turn out graduates fast enough to keep up with demand.

“There is a nationwide shortage of agriculture teachers,” said Brandie Disberger, an instructor in Kansas State University’s Department of Communications and Agricultural Education. “Here in Kansas we are currently only graduating about half of the needed agriculture teachers. We have had 100% placement in this major for more than 20 years.”

Students with an interest in agriculture and a passion for working with people make excellent candidates, Disberger said, noting that as of May 2018, average starting salaries in Kansas were more than $40,000. The average salary of agriculture education teachers across the country in 2017 was $43,093, according to the National Association of Agricultural Educators, with averages across the U.S. varying by region.

Disberger, who taught high school agricultural education for 10 years before coming to teach at K-State, said contrary to some perceptions, there are ag education openings in urban and suburban school districts as well as in rural areas.

The breadth of training students receive lends itself to a range of careers, she said. About 80% of K-State’s ag education graduates go on to teach in high school, but some move into careers in extension where they teach adults and youth in less formal settings. Others work in agriculture-related sales or service positions, nonprofit organizations, or pursue advanced academic degrees.

Students study topics such as energy systems, animal science, plant systems, food products and processing, biotechnology in agriculture, power, and structural and technical systems.

“Some individuals think career and technical education programs, including agricultural education, are closing in high schools when it is just the opposite. They are growing rapidly,” Disberger said.

Ag Ed Club Helps FFA Award Winners

Posted on by Deanna Reid

By Deanna Reid, agricultural education and communication master’s student

Ms. Kane helps agricultural education club members critique submissions.

The Agricultural Education Club had an opportunity to serve Kansas FFA members by providing feedback for high school state Agricultural Proficiency Award winners in preparation for the national competition. Based on supervised agricultural experience programs, proficiency awards recognize students who have developed skills they can apply to future agricultural careers.

Award areas include: entrepreneurship, placement, combined, and agriscience research. Though critiquing award applications, K-State agricultural education students were able to help potential students and use the experience as a learning opportunity for future teaching. Thirty K-State undergraduate students evaluated nearly 40 applications that were submitted.

 

Agricultural education students provide feedback for FFA Proficiency Award contestants.

 

Abby Goins, an agricultural education major, stated, “This opportunity was special and unique. As someone unfamiliar with the proficiency award program, it helped me to understand what students learn and what is involved. It was a really great opportunity!”