Growing Our Future: Texas Agricultural Science Education Magazine

Cultivating Agriculture's Bright Future

Resources, Opportunities From Texas Farm Bureau Can Help

By: Julie Tomascik, Texas Farm Bureau

Whether you’re in the classroom, the shop, the greenhouse, the show ring or on the way to a leadership development event, each student learns something from you.

What you do matters.

Who you impact matters.

How you advocate about agriculture matters.

And we think you’re doing a great job. We know it takes early mornings, late nights and sometimes many miles in between, especially during contest and stock show seasons. We know you didn’t become an educator by chance but by choice to impact students, build relationships and share a passion for different agricultural careers—communications, farming, engineering, teaching and so much more.

We notice your efforts and the work you do to cultivate the next generation of agricultural leaders. You inspire students, encouraging them to step out of their comfort zone and learn new things. You even inspire us, too.

We appreciate all that you do.

Texas Farm Bureau can, and wants to, help you in those efforts.

We have opportunities for eighth grade and high school students to grow and learn more about agriculture through the Student Success Series.

We host the Speak Out For Agriculture (SOFA) Challenge during the Heart O’ Texas Fair and Rodeo. Now in its second year, this contest helps high school students develop problem-solving and communication skills, and they take home cash prizes.

We also offer more than $230,000 in scholarships to four-year colleges and universities, and there are scholarships available to students attending Texas State Technical College.

And we have resources and opportunities available to you as teachers! Our summer workshops—Summer Ag Academies and Summer Ag Institute—are a way to bring home free classroom resources about agriculture and a way to earn professional development credits.

Our Young Farmer & Rancher Program is open to farmers, ranchers and agricultural professionals ages 18 to 35. Through this program, we host a conference, Fall Tour and district events. We highlight young agriculturalists through our contests and award them with prizes.

We also announced a new program—BLO- CK—available to farmers, ranchers and agricultural professionals between the ages of 36 and 50. This program is designed to provide opportunities for members to network together while learning about important agricultural issues, challenges and programs in other areas. This includes an industry tour and conference, and we’d love to see some of our state’s greatest agricultural educators get involved.

Also available on our website are lessons and virtual resources that you can use in your classroom.

And we send you emails—Texas Agriculture Daily and the TFB Friday Report—that include the latest news and information about agriculture on a local, state and national level.

Our Farm Bureau staff are always available to discuss agricultural issues and advocacy efforts. We can brainstorm ideas for speech topics and contests, and we can connect you to potential guest speakers who can discuss a wide range of issues in agriculture.

You’re often a resource for other teachers and the community when they have questions about agriculture, want to start a school garden or find other learning opportunities for students. We want to be a resource for you. Whether that’s providing resources you can share with students to help grow agricultural literacy and awareness at a young age. Or free lesson plans, garden grant opportunities, virtual resources and more available on our website.

Time is precious, and we want to thank you for giving your early mornings, late nights, long days and long drives to your students. Whether you’ve been teaching for two years or over 20, your invested time has been well spent.

Thank you for the friendships you’ve made with Farm Bureau leaders and staff. Thank you for pouring into your students, and thank you for continuing to be an agricultural advocate.