February 25, 2019

Vision

The Council creates an intentional direction for the Agricultural Education Model by:

• Connecting Leaders
• Fostering Collaboration
• Driving Action

Mission

The Council leads the future of school-based agricultural education by:

• Identifying opportunities and resources

• Providing a forum for thought and direction

• Focusing on academic and career success for all students.

Upcoming Events

2019

March 25-27
ACTE National Policy Seminar with Ag Ed Track
Arlington, VA

May 21
AAAE National Conference
Des Moines, IA

June 23-26
NEAT Summer Conference
Stockbridge, MA.

September 17
AAAE Western 
Region Conference
Anchorage, AK

September 19
National Teach Ag Day

Past Issues

• February 18
• February 11
• February 4
• January 28
• January 14

MMM Submissions

To have information from your ag ed organization included in the Monday Morning Monitor, email Andrea Fristoe, NAAE Program Manager.

NAAE 

National Teach Ag Campaign Annual Report Now Available
Take a look at the impact the National Teach Ag Campaign made in 2018 for agricultural education recruitment and retention. The PDF is a downloadable and printable calendar with all the important dates and events in ag education you need to know about, so make sure to check it out!

News & Views
It's almost time for the 2019 ACTE National Policy Seminar! Find out why it is so important to advocate for agricultural education and learn some helpful tips to help you along the way. All this & more in the February edition of News & Views!

NAAE Awards
The application details, rubrics, and instructions for the 2019 NAAE awards are now updated and available on the NAAE website. You are welcome to access your application(s) and work on uploading your information. The official submission links are NOW AVAILABLE. Click here to begin your award application process.

Apply for a CASE Institute Scholarship
Generous contributions from the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM), in partnership with the Equipment Dealers Association (EDA) and theFarm Equipment Manufacturers Association (FEMA),as well as Cargill and the CHS Foundation through the National FFA Foundation, are providing partial CASE Institute scholarships.

Available partial scholarships include:

• $2,000 to attend Agricultural Power and Technology(APT) or Mechanical Systems in Agriculture(MSA) CASE Institutes provided by the Association of Equipment Manufactures (AEM), in partnership with the Equipment Dealers Association (EDA) and the Farm Equipment Manufacturers Association (FEMA)
• $2,000 to attend any CASE Institute provided by Cargill, as a special project of the National FFA Foundation
• $1,500 to attend any CASE Institute provided by the CHS Foundation, as a special project of the National FFA Foundation

The deadline to apply is February 28th. Scholarship winners will be contacted in April. To view or complete the 2019 CASE Institute Scholarship Application, visit our website. For the complete CASE Institute schedule, click this link. Please direct questions regarding this scholarship opportunity to Miranda Chaplin, CASE Operations/Outreach Director.

Farm Credit East Partial CASE Institute Scholarships
Are you in need of financial support to attend a CASE Institute this summer? Through the generous support from Farm Credit East, partial CASE Institutes scholarships are available for teachers from Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York and Rhode Island. Please note, this excludes Clinton and Essex counties in New York and Cheshire, Coos, Grafton and Sullivan counties in New Hampshire.

For more information or to complete the Farm Credit East CASE Institute Scholarship Application, please click this link. The deadline to apply is March 15, 2019.

Jr. MANRRS Grant Opportunity
The National Teach Ag Campaign, managed by the National Association of Agricultural Educators, is offering eight grants worth $1500 each to preservice agricultural education clubs or groups to develop and execute a collaborative and mentoring relationship with a Jr. MANRRS chapter in the area. If a Jr. MANRRS chapter does not exist, the preservice cohort may use the funds to start a Jr. MANRRS chapter in the area. These grants are part of a pilot program that aims to:

• Establish positive relationships among preservice agricultural education majors and the Jr. MANRRS chapter members. 
• Plan, create and deliver agriculture-based content to Jr. MANRRS members through innovative and engaging formats. 
• Practice teaching and lesson execution. 

Grant applications are due March 24. The grant application and more details may be found at: https://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/4792011/2019-2020-JR-MANRRS-Grant

NAAE Co-Hosts Free Webinar!
Please join us for a FREE WEBINAR on March 13 or 14! The National Association of Agricultural Educators (NAAE), in partnership with The FOOD EVOLUTION Educational Outreach Coalition, invites you to an exclusive, free, online webinar. Together we hope to inspire teachers to use the Food Evolution film as a tool to engage their students in using scientific practices to guide their decision-making. Our hour-long webinar will introduce attendees to the film and its accompanying Educational Resource Guide. We will discuss the film and its classroom applications, model an activity from the guide, and allow time for Q&A with a member of the FOOD EVOLUTION film team. Teachers who attend the entire webinar will receive a FREE copy of the film and the Guide, and a certificate for 1 hour of professional development to submit to their district or administration. Click here for more information.

2019 National Teach Ag Ambassador Program Application NOW AVAILABLE
The National Teach Ag Campaign is seeking the nation’s most outstanding agricultural education majors to represent the profession as National Teach Ag Ambassadors at the 2019 National FFA Convention & Expo, October 27 to November 1 in Indianapolis, IN, and throughout the year at the state level. Click here for more information and to apply.

2019 ACTE National Policy Seminar with Ag Ed Track
March 25-27
NAAE will pay the registration fee for one NAAE member per state to attend the NPS. Click here for more information and to register. 

Ag Ed For All Webinar Series
Join other agriculture teachers and professionals to learn more about creating an inclusive classroom environment for students on this webinar series. The webinar will occur on the second Wednesday of each month at 3 p.m. CST / 4 p.m. EST and last 60-90 minutes.

Topics include:

• March 13 -- Gender Equity
• April 10 -- Challenging Classism

*Titles adopted from University of Minnesota Office for Equity and Diversity.

The webinar is open to anyone who wants to participate and would benefit from these conversations. For more information, please visit z.umn.edu/AgEdForAll or contact Brandon Roiger at broiger@umn.edu or Jonathan Seaman at jts250@psu.edu.

Free webinar: The Ins and Outs: Using Simulation to Teach Bovine Artificial Insemination
Agriculture instructors have told us how difficult it can be to teach key concepts about reproduction and large animal breeding in the classroom. Realityworks, Inc. created a unique learning aid to give them a realistic, engaging way to teach proper AI techniques without leaving the classroom: the Bovine Breeder TM artificial insemination simulator. Join us for a free webinar at 2pm CST on Thursday, February 28, during which we’ll discuss the basic principles of teaching Artificial Insemination and how simulation training tools can enhance A.I. learning. Reserve your spot: https://www.realityworks.com/webinars

Communities of Practice Highlights

• Topographic Map Lesson
• Swine Management
• Beef Primal & Retail ID

Vets on Call
Presented by Zoetis, the Veterinarians on Call YouTube channel features real-life vets doing a variety of tasks. This week, meet Dr. Bramlage, a renowned equine orthopedic surgeon who regularly practices on site at major races including the Triple Crown and the Breeders' Cup World Championships. Click here to watch the video. 

Friday Footnotes
Forty Long Years
A well-known phrase, attributed to various Native American tribes, is that a person should “walk a mile in his moccasins” in order to better understand the other person’s situation and point of view (this phrase actually comes from a poem titled “Judge Softly” written in 1895 by Mary T. Lathrap). We might have a better understanding of the merger of the Future Farmers of America (FFA) and the New Farmers of America (NFA) if we could actually walk a mile in the moccasins of the NFA leadership. Follow this link to read more.

FFA

Alumni Check IN
Are you one of our 8 million+ former FFA members? If so, please take a minute to Check IN and take the first step to further unite and strengthen our extensive online community! Imagine the tremendous impact of our collective voice, leadership and lifelong commitment. Let’s build our FFA community! #FFACheckIN

WLC Registration Opens March 5 
Washington Leadership Conference (WLC) is the pinnacle leadership conference National FFA offers to any members able to attend. The WLC curriculum uses the tenants of ME, WE, DO, SERVE to get students to achieve the overall objective of the conference, which is becoming engaged citizens who can make a measurable and positive difference in their communities. This five-day conference offers the unique balance of providing FFA members with a premier leadership experience while exposing them to the rich history Washington, D.C., has to offer. WLC has a participation maximum of 370 students per week, an increase from 2018, and has such a high demand that several weeks will sell out within a few days of registration opening. WLC dates, pricing, FAQs, and registration information can be found on the WLC webpage.

WLC registration opens at 6 p.m. ET on March 5. Advisors and students must register using their FFA login. It is recommended that students and advisors review the registration guidelines and information available at FFA.org/wlc before March 5 to prepare as some weeks sell out quickly. A registration how-to video will be published on the webpage a week before registration opens. Contact wlc@ffa.org or 317-802-6060 for questions about WLC. 

Resource Spotlight: New Retiring Address Lesson Now Available
Teachers: Check out the lesson, "Keep Climbing and Aiming High," centered on 2017-18 National FFA Southern Region Vice President Ian Bennett’s retiring address. Ian discusses how persistence and focus are the keys to success during life’s challenges. After students watch Ian’s address, they can complete a worksheet and answer questions that dig deeper into the topic.

Apply Now: National FFA Teacher Ambassador Program
Are you a teacher interested in sharing educational resources and opportunities within your state while offering feedback and ideas to National FFA? Become a National FFA Teacher Ambassador. Ambassadors attend an intensive three-day training during the summer at the National FFA Center in Indianapolis, deliver workshops on National FFA resources and opportunities, promote resources on social media, and provide relevant feedback to National FFA. Go to the application for more information about the program (including responsibilities and expectations) and to apply. The deadline is March 1 at 11:59 p.m. ET. 

FFA Alumni

FFA Alumni and Supporter Grants
March 1 is the first deadline for FFA Alumni and Supporter Grants! Tractor Supply Company sponsors $500 Legacy grants to help create and improve Alumni and Supporters chapters and $1,000 Legacy grants for alumni and student members to partner together on projects. NutrienAg Solutions sponsors $5,000 Give Back To Your Roots grants to help pay student FFA affiliation fees, plant science based projects and other classroom materials. Visit www.ffa.org/alumnigrants for the grant application and report form, and check out the awesome materials featuring FFA members and advisors at https://radiateroots.ag.   

ACTE

Join Us at NPS!
Whether you’re a seasoned advocate or a first-timer to Capitol Hill, now more than ever is an essential time to engage! With several new Members of Congress, there are significant opportunities to build on the momentum of recent CTE policy advancements at National Policy Seminar this March 25–27 in Arlington, Virginia, with focused, free pre-conference sessions on March 24. 

Learn more and register today!

VISION 2019 Call for Presentations is Open
The premier event for career and technical education (CTE), CareerTech VISION will bring together educators, business leaders and industry experts, Dec. 4–7, in Anaheim, California. ACTE welcomes your session proposals that cover a wide array of secondary and postsecondary CTE topics and one or more of the 12 elements of the High-quality CTE Framework. VISION presenters will receive numerous professional development opportunities as well as a speaker discount on the VISION early bird registration rate.

Submit your proposals by Feb. 28

Best Practices 2019 Call for Presentations is Open
The call for presentation proposals is now open for ACTE’s and NCLA’s Best Practices and Innovations in CTE. Taking place Sept. 25-27 in Tucson, AZ, Best Practices is seeking content that advances the field for new and seasoned CTE administrators and leaders.

Submit your proposals by March 1

Show Your Support for CTE
CTE Month® is a public awareness campaign that takes place each February to celebrate the value of CTE and the achievements and accomplishments of CTE programs across the country. Celebrate in your schools and communities by hosting an event and purchasing balloons, lanyards, mood products and more, and participating in the CTE Month-NASA HUNCH video contest.

Celebrate CTE Month

CAST

Can we learn how to enjoy food that disgusts us?

Friday, Feb. 22, 2019: The new face of farming might be robotic, CAST will present major research about water use, and tips for overcoming picky eating habits. Pink squirrels, mad bulls, and nematodes in space--these and many more ag/science stories in this week’s edition.   

The Council for Agricultural Science and Technology's (CAST) weekly online newsletter, Friday Notes, is available free due to a grant from Land O’Lakes.