One of my favorite New York FFA  projects has been the making of these 2 videos. It was an honor to travel the state and see inside different classrooms, shops, greenhouses, and barns. You would be impressed by the diversity and skill being put to work at the local FFA chapter level. I am always impressed by the knowledge base FFA advisers and agricultural educators bring into the classroom. 

These videos are some of the best FFA videos. Yes, I am biased since New York is the FFA I call home, but the people in this video are making a difference in the world everyday. 

​The first video is an overview of agricultural education in New York State. 

The second video is a snapshot of the New York FFA Association and the grassroots efforts happening statewide.

The New York FFA along with Cornell University worked with Cameron Gallagher of Black Mountain Visuals to make this project happen. Cameron is an accomplished videographer and a talent to watch. His creative process and editing skills make it all look good. 

People who should be recognized in making this happen include Derek Hill, Shari Lighthall, Catie Rowe, and everyone else in the New York FFA's Team Ag Ed. Other important people to recognize are Dr. Steve A. Brown, National FFA Advisor and Commissioner Richard Ball from NYS Department of Agriculture & Markets, who took time out of their busy schedules to help.  Additionally, all the FFA advisors and members who put on  a great presentations for recording.

For more FFA videos, check out the National FFA's Video Center. Some of the other best FFA videos can be found at their online directory at www.ffa.org/ffa-video-center/ . 

Keep Growing, 
Seth Browe

Granville FFA Alumni
2017 -2018  NYS FFA State Vice President
2018 - 2019 NationalPAS Vice President
New York FFA Foundation Program Development Specialist 

WindowsMobile Device:  http://snappy.appypie.com/media/appfile/1c2a682f24cf.xap  
 
Blackberry:   http://snappy.appypie.com/media/appfile/1c2a682f24cf.bar
 
Kindle:  http://snappy.appypie.com/media/appfile/kindle_1c2a682f24cf.apk
 
 Sincerely,
 
Shari Lighthall
NYS Agricultural Education and Outreach
Cornell University
Phone:  315-346-1222
[email protected]
​

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                        
CONTACT: Sean Lynch
December 20, 2013                                                           
703-683-9312
 [email protected]

CareerTech VISION 2013 : A Dynamic Professional Development Event for 3,500 Career and Technical Educators

ALEXANDRIA, VA – The Association for Career and Technical Education held its annual national professional learning event, CareerTech VISION 2013, in Las Vegas, Nevada, December 4-7. More than 3,500 career and technical education (CTE) professionals attended the three-day event. Participants and speakers discussed current issues facing CTE and various topics in more than 200 educational sessions on issues including Common Core State Standards implementation, teaching strategies for the CTE classroom, program and teacher assessments, new technologies CTE programs can utilize to enhance student learning, and much more.

CareerTech VISION 2013, which took place at the Las Vegas Convention Center, drew CTE professionals from across the country. Attendees heard from notable general session speakers, browsed the newest classroom technologies and tools in the CareerTech Expo, which showcased more than 200 companies, and offered attendees a chance to explore best practices, instructional models, and tactics for integrating rigorous academics and CTE. On Wednesday evening, ACTE honored its 2014 national award winners at an awards banquet. U.S. Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan provided opening remarks to the attendees. He thanked CTE educators and challenged the audience, “Teaching and learning must change because the nature of work has changed. “ The Secretary also referenced President Obama’s goal of ensuring every student has some form of postsecondary training or degree to succeed in today’s economy.

Assistant Secretary Brenda Dann-Messier from the Office of Vocational and Adult Education joined the Secretary at the banquet to help celebrate the nominees and winners. ACTE annually honors educators and business and industry leaders for their exemplary work in CTE. ACTE was pleased to work with returning sponsors for two awards this year; Cisco, which sponsored the Teacher of the Year award, and Kuder Inc., which sponsored the Career Guidance award. In addition, this year’s awards were produced with 3D printing technologies provided by Stratasys. ACTE also appreciates the sponsorship provided by Certiport, CEV Multimedia, Successful Practices Network and Yaskawa Motoman Robotics.

ACTE is proud to announce the following award winners for 2014:

·         2014 Teacher of the Year, Sponsored by Cisco – Tara L. Berescik, Agricultural Educator and FFA Advisor, Tri-Valley Central School District, Grahamsville, NY

·         2014 Career Guidance Award, Sponsored by Kuder, Inc. – Jayne Greeney Schill, CTE/Business Education Partnerships/College Bound Program Coordinator/Counselor, St. Cloud Area School District, Waite Park, MN

·         2014 Outstanding Career and Technical Educator –Tony Brannon, Dean, Hutson School of Agriculture, Murray State University, Murray, KY

·         2014 Outstanding New Career and Technical Teacher – Briana Lynn Morton, Family and Consumer Sciences Teacher, Homewood Middle School, Homewood, AL

·         2014 Outstanding Teacher in Community Service – Felicia Williams, Family and Consumer Sciences Teacher, Horseshoe Bend School, New Site, AL

·         2014 Business Leader of the Year – Gordon W. Davis, Founder and Chairman, CEV Multimedia Ltd.

·         2014 Lifetime Achievement – Gary S. Wixom, Assistant Commissioner, Utah System of Higher Education

·         2014 Award of Merit – Joerg Klisch, Vice-President of North American Operations, Tognum America Inc.

·         2014 Carl Perkins Outstanding Service Award – Sandra Hemmert, CTE Coordinator, Granite School District (Utah)

·         2014 Image Award NOCTI – accepted by John Foster, CEO of NOCTI

ACTE will be hosting CareerTech VISION 2014 in Nashville, November 19-22.

About ACTE

The Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) is the nation’s largest not-for-profit education association dedicated to the advancement of education that prepares youth and adults for successful careers. Founded in 1926, ACTE has more than 25,000 members; career and technical educators, administrators, researchers, guidance counselors and others involved in planning and conducting career and technical education programs at the secondary, postsecondary and adult levels. ACTE provides advocacy, public awareness and access to information on career and technical education, professional development and tools that enable members to be successful and effective leaders. 

To: NY Ag Educators

From: The Desk of Todd Lighthall
(reposted from email sent directly to ag educators) 

NY Ag Educators,

Over the past month I have been informing you of some opportunities for you to consider to support your FFA Foundation, raise money for your chapter, and support a key partner.  Please read on to learn more.

1.       Made In The USA NY FFA Duck-  Order your case from the FFA Foundation.  We are selling these at cost, so that you can make a profit for your local FFA Chapter. 

a.       Order your case of ducks by calling or emailing Todd Lighthall.  They make a great addition to your fruit sales and are great gifts to supporters. 

2.       Support the NY Farm Bureau for Agricultural Education Auction.  The NY Farm Bureau is one of our biggest supporters.  Please consider donating an item valued at a minimum of $25 to their annual silent auction.  See forms attached and return to Amy Robinson at [email protected]

3.       1936 Allis Chalmers U Tractor Raffle-  Tickets are available.  Another easy way to support a project of the FFA Foundation is to sell raffle tickets in your communities for this tractor. 

a.       The previous six tractor raffles have raised over $86,000 to support your state level programs and award, at a cost of approx. $21000. 

Why support these causes?

So far in 2013 more than $60,000 has been distributed to FFA Chapters, FFA members, and your state FFA Association from the FFA Foundation.  Every bit of support helps to create budgets that will directly or indirectly enhance the FFA experience for your students.  Please consider one or more of these opportunities to show your support to our organization.  Thank you for your support and consideration.

With kind regards,

Todd M. Lighthall, Executive Director
NY FFA Foundation, Inc.
Engaging Youth in Agricultural & Career Success
315-346-1222
9340 Long Pond Rd.
Croghan, NY 13327

www.nyffafoundation.org

We are proud to share this video from an October 2nd visit by Commissioner King to the C.G. May BOCES in western NY. Commissioner King represents the New York State Educational Department. 


The agricultural educators there do a great job and give their best to the students. Teachers like Rachel Clayson and Jon English make you proud to be a part of the New York Agricultural education community.

The video has high school seniors show Commissioner King the Agri-Business Academy in the Genesee Valley, a one-year program where high school seniors earn 12 SUNY college credits.

Excelsior,
Bill Waite
Oswegatchie Program Director

All I ever wanted to be was a farmer.

I grew up on a farm, and that’s not just a cliché.

I was born in 1968 and my dad started running the Pitts Farm in 1969.

It was all I ever knew.

Dad ran the farm like it was his own, the whole thing looked like a park and they were the best apples and cherries and peaches.   He was a great farmer and a smart businessman, not much of salesmen, but amazing for a guy who stopped going to school in the 8th grade.    He was the business manager and HR department and public relations officer and shipping clerk, all those things that farmers have to be that no one ever thinks about. And it was so cool, that’s what I wanted to do.

I remember driving my little toy tractor, pulling a little toy plow around a radish patch I had in the front yard.

I remember being a little bigger and riding my John Deere pedal tractor around the yard pulling a wagon that I had laid a garbage can in to make it my spray rig.   Back and forth, across the yard, just like dad with his big tractor in the orchard.

I remember sitting at the kitchen table with dad as he went over his spray records in a big binder.  I made my own note book, where I drew pictures of plows and discs and drags and explained how you used them in that order to get ready to plant apple trees.   I was trying to show my dad that I was ready to work on the farm.

I remember being there when they planted apple orchards and what an exciting time it was.  My dad and his brothers where there along with my grandfather and some other old timers.  The rows had to be perfect, “so you could shoot the whole row with a rifle at once”

I remember riding on my dad’s lap on the old Ford Major as he pushed brush or pulled a sprayer putting Etherol on the Wealthys and Early Macs.  I remember how he could split an apple in half with his hands.

I remember picking up rocks, lots of rocks.

I remember my dad's best friend seemed to be a man who brought his family to pick apples every fall,  he didn't work for my dad,  he worked with my dad. And even though his family had darker skin than mine and lived in Florida or on the road following crops,  they became our family too.

When I got older, I learned how to drive tractor myself.  I learned how to mow an orchard, and weed spray and cultivate.   I learned how pick apples and cherries and thin peaches and load trucks.   Learned how to drive a stick shift on a dump truck and plow a field almost straight.  I didn't learn how to trim apple trees; I just knew how to do it.   It’s something  you can’t learn that, you either know it or you don’t.  I think it’s a recessive trait, like blue eyes.

And then when I was in high school I learned something real important. 

A good thing doesn't last forever. 

I got home from school one day, and my dad didn't have a job anymore.  For some reason, Mr. Pitts decided he didn't want to farm with my dad anymore.   The only job I’d ever know for my dad and the place I’d grown up on wasn't there anymore.  At 59 years old, my dad was out of a job.   My brother and he signed up for unemployment.   The people at the office couldn't believe that my dad hadn’t been unemployed since 1945.

 Dad wasn’t out of work long, another farm owner knew a good thing when he saw it and hired my dad to work for him on his farm.  And summers and after school, he hired me too, and I learned some more.  

But dad had learned too.   He’d learned he worked too hard for too long to make money for other people and to make their farms look good.  He didn't want that for me.   I had forgot a little of that little boy on dad's lap steering the Major, and thought I wanted to be a school teacher.   I went to college, dad paid my way, and I tried teaching a little, and then got a great job at a company that helps teachers.  I got to learn more, and see the country and even work with Ag teachers.

Dad finally retired a few years ago, now he’s 87.  He has 8 acres of apples and peaches that someone else takes care of, while he takes care of mom.  And we still talk about farming.  We go for drives to look at orchards and see what’s new, and what’s getting old.

I have a good job that pays well and I have a nice cubical, with a nice computer monitor and no windows and no fresh air.   I send e-mails and text messages and voice mails and talk on the phone. I'm stuck indoors, but I do get to help teachers daily, some of them Ag teachers with dreams of farming themselves.

I’ll be 45 this May, 3 years older than my dad when he started farming.  I wish I was as brave as him.  But there’s not too many apple farmers hiring desk jockeys and I can’t afford to buy my own.   Maybe I could start my own business, and do something in the Ag industry and build it up so I could afford a farm. 

 Or maybe I’ll just man my desk for another 30 years and get a nice send off some day, but right now, I’ve got kids to get into college and a mortgage and bills to pay.

I’ll plant a nice garden this spring, and grow some radishes, and do what I can to help Ag teachers and farmers whenever I can, and dream about fresh dirt and straight rows, and diesel fumes and fresh off the tree apples.

It’s the best I can do for now, and it’s a pretty nice dream.

All I ever wanted to be was a farmer.

Tim Montondo
Professional and Technical Services Manager
p: 585.321.9449
[email protected]

Tim Montondo has been with Ward's Science/VWR for over 22 years. With a bachelor's degree in Biology and Secondary Education from SUNY Oswego, Tim's talents and contributions have ranged from growing bugs and managing Ward's Live Materials and Assembly Departments, to sourcing and evaluating new products and managing Biology product lines in our science education catalogs. Tim is currently the Professional  & Technical Support Manager and uses his many talents, experience, and interpersonal skills to help teachers find answers to all types of questions concerning our products and services.   He also oversees Ag Science products and does workshops for Ag Teachers every chance he can. 
 
Ward's Science is a Career Development Event (CDE) sponsor for the New York FFA Foundation. The funds they contribute help agricultural students get closer to experience agriculture as a possible profession and career.