Former high school Ag teacher now empowers Ag teachers through Nebraska Extension

“If I knew about all of the Extension education resources, I would have made use of them in my classroom,” Brandy VanDeWalle, Extension education based in Clay/Fillmore counties, said. She was a high school Ag teacher prior to joining Nebraska Extension in 2006.

Excellence in Ag Science Day was initially started in the southeast corner of the state with 8-20 participants, but later expanded statewide. It has historically reached over 50 percent of Nebraska agriculture teachers and reaches 30 to 50 teachers on an annual basis.

Yijie Xiong, Assistant professor and Extension Specialist, believes this training program plays a pivotal role in nurturing the educators who shape the future of agriculture. Through the concept of “training the trainers,” “the training contents equip agricultural teachers with the most up-to-date knowledge that they can readily incorporate into their classroom instruction,” Xiong said. She taught Technology in Animal Production Systems opportunities and challenges in this training. 

Past themes of these conferences have included soil quality and health, soil testing, ag water management, ag water quality, and this year it was precision agriculture.

Nebraska Extension has been working with Nebraska Agriculture Education instructors for 17 years to provide the annual professional development program “Excellence in Ag Sciences Day” to agriculture education instructors. “The potential impact these valuable teachers have on their students is immeasurable, as they instill the core values necessary for the next generation of the agricultural workforce,” Xiong said.

This year, 36 participants learned about precision agriculture and drone usage related to the agricultural industry. VanDeWalle said, “the teachers gained a lot of knowledge and information during the program as well as got a legal drone to use in their classrooms.” “Many other teachers told me they wish they could attend, but their schedule did not allow.”

“It was an eye-opener listening to the university experts describe the problems they face, how they handle them, then the straightforward, upfront research so you get the latest information,” said participant Lonnie Koepke., Said participant Lonnie Koepke. He is an Ag teacher at Anselmo-Merna School in Custer County. He said, “Brandy VanDeWalle put together some really helpful workshops that we can use and implement in our classrooms.”

“The level of engagement from the attendees was truly impressive, with thought-provoking questions and enthusiastic discussions,” Xiong said. She added, “their genuine interest not only made the experience fun but also inspired me to refine my teaching approaches for future programs.”

“We got a grant through Nebraska environmental trust, which opened the door to expanding the program statewide,” VanDeWalle said. As a result, the program is now offered at two locations: North Platte, West Central Research and Extension Center and the Eastern Nebraska Research & Extension Center near Mead. “In addition, supplies increased, and teachers could receive stipends for their time and accommodations,” VanDeWalle said.

In 2023, the Corteva – Doniphan location provided funding as well as 4 Seasons Fundraising. Due to previous donors, teachers were able to receive an educational drone to use in their classroom and resources to utilize their current agricultural technology-based curriculums. Currently, 67% of participants have completed a post-evaluation. Of those who completed the survey (n=24), 92% plan to utilize the materials presented in the Drone and Precision Ag presentations.