Billings, Montana: Kurt VanDeWalle attended the National Association of County
Agricultural Agents Annual Meeting & Professional Improvement Conference with his wife,
Brandy VanDeWalle. The national conference provided professional improvement to
educators through speakers and workshops that were conducted by other educators.
Highlights of the sessions that Mr. VanDeWalle attended was that professionals need to
look for signs of burnout, in themselves and their peers, and take steps to reduce burn out
to ensure longevity in their profession. Another highlight was that, while working with
youth of any age, it is important to keep the youth hydrated. Educators in that workshop
shared the tips that helped them help their youth camp attendees reduce their need to visit
the camp nurse. Mr. VanDeWalle greatly enjoyed the three sessions that Brandy presented,
which was about her annual Youth Crop Scouting competition, the Virtual Reality
Agriculture Tour she’s developed with Hawaii, Alaska, and Nebraska educators, and the
Special Agronomy Project that she facilitates for 4-H and FFA members so that they can
receive special seeds to plant and grow.
The conference wrapped up with agricultural tours, like every year. This year, Mr.
VanDeWalle toured three locations. The first stop was Quad Five, a research farm that
draws blood from livestock that is sold globally for science and health research. They
regularly draw blood from sheep, goats, cattle, and horses. Next was a Hutterite colony to
see how they farm and live to learn a different culture in action. Lastly was a large, small
grains farm, which is common in Montana.
Mr. VanDeWalle’s expenses were partially funded through a scholarship provided
by the Nebraska FFA Foundation. Mr. VanDeWalle uses what he learns at this conference to
supplement other resources he uses in his classroom. By attending national conferences in
other states, Mr. VanDeWalle’s agricultural knowledge is deepened and broadened.
“Seeing other agriculture practices and operations first hand and learning from
other educators adds to the diversity of what I can bring to my classroom to benefit my
students’ overall experience. Agriculture is much more diverse than what they see around
home. My students are the future producers and consumers and everything in between, of
the agriculture industry. There is a place for everyone in this industry. The more that I can
see, learn, and experience, the better equipped our students can be,” said Mr. VanDeWalle.
For more information about the Nebraska FFA Foundation, contact Stacey Agnew,
Nebraska FFA Executive Director, at Stacey@neffafoundation.org.