The Iowa Council on Agricultural Education awarded Maquoketa Valley Community School District in Delhi, Iowa with the 2017 Excellence in Agriculture Education award. The award was presented at the Iowa FFA Leadership Conference held in Ames, Iowa April 9-11, 2017.

The purpose of the award is to identify what makes a highly successful agriculture education program in schools and recognize those who model that success. Dawn Mausser is the agriculture teacher at Maquoketa Valley CSD and FFA advisor. The program was nominated for the award by more than a dozen student members who wrote essays extolling the positive impact the program has had on their lives.

Each opportunity given to us helps us to prosper and become motivated to come back into the agriculture industry in the surrounding area,” wrote Amanda Engelken, Gabriela Guetzko, and Cole Kruse.

The council also recognized five other schools for excellence in agriculture education.

Advisory Committee Award: New Hampton Community School District in New Hampton, Iowa – agriculture teacher, Jim Russ
Program Promotion and Marketing Award: Central DeWitt High School in DeWitt, Iowa– agriculture teacher, Amy Grantz
Agriculture Career Awareness Award: Lone Tree Community School in Lone Tree, Iowa – agriculture teacher, Bridget Mahoney
Integration of Science Award: South Winneshiek Community School District in Calmar, Iowa – agriculture teacher, Melissa Hageman
Adult Education Award: Maquoketa Valley CSD in Delhi and Dyersville, Iowa – agriculture teacher, Dawn Mausser
“We value many things: our academics, our agriculture department, and most importantly, our community. Offering these classes helps not only the community out but also the students involved in getting them set up. It gives us the opportunity to help out our community and it also helps us gain more knowledge in certain areas,” wrote Maquoketa Valley students Justin Krapfl, Kyle Richter, and Rejji Smith.

Agriculture education is offered in 232 high schools across Iowa. Agriculture education employs a three-component model to deliver teaching through classroom instruction, supervised agricultural experience programs, and leadership development through FFA. Students who take an agriculture education class are eligible to join FFA. There are more than 14,000 FFA members in Iowa.

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About the Iowa Council on Agricultural Education
The Iowa Council on Agricultural Education will review, develop, and recommend standards for secondary and postsecondary agricultural education. Established in 1988 by legislative act of the 72 nd Iowa General Assembly, the Council is appointed by the Governor annually and made up of nine voting members. The Council members represent all areas of agriculture and diverse geographical areas. The Council includes representation from secondary schools, postsecondary schools, and a teacher educator. Ex officio members include representatives from Iowa FFA, Iowa FFA Alumni, the Postsecondary Agriculture Student Organization of Iowa, the Iowa Department of Education, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, and members of the Iowa general assembly.

About the Iowa Agriculture Literacy Foundation
IALF serves as a central resource for educators and volunteers who want to teach Iowa’s students about agriculture. The mission is to educate Iowans, with a focus on youth, regarding the breadth and global significance of agriculture. Iowa is a leading producer of agricultural products that are essential to feed a growing world population, estimated to reach more than 9 billion by 2050. IALF believes it is important for all Iowans to understand the essential role agriculture has in their lives. IALF will support existing agriculture education efforts such as FFA, 4-H and Ag in the Classroom. IALF was created through a joint effort of agricultural stakeholders, including the Iowa Corn Growers Association, Iowa Farm Bureau Federation, Iowa Pork Producers Association, Iowa Soybean Association, Silos and Smokestacks Foundation, DuPont Pioneer, GROWMARK, and the Iowa Beef Industry Council. For more information visit IALF online at IowaAgLiteracy.org, on Facebook, and Twitter.

Source:
Iowa Agriculture Literacy Foundation

Contact:
Will Fett, Chair
Iowa Council on Agriculture Education
WFett@IowaAgLiteracy.org
515-331-4182

Scott Johnson
Iowa FFA Association
scott.johnson@iowaffa.com
515-965-7376