Members from all 84 FFA chapters across North Dakota along with the North Dakota State University College of Agriculture will celebrate National Teach Ag Day Thursday, September 20th by taking part in special ag-based lessons, community involvement and a variety of games and activities designed around agriculture.
“National Teach Ag Day is an exciting day for us as it brings attention to the importance of agricultural education opportunities for high school and college students across our state and nation,” says Adam Marx, Assistant Professor of Agricultural Education at NDSU. “There are many diverse career paths related to agriculture, and this day helps shed light on the different options students may not have even known existed.”
With over 11,000 agriculture teachers in the United States, National Teach Ag Day celebrates the impact they have on their students, schools, and communities. In North Dakota, those pursuing Agricultural Education at NDSU (since 2014) has increased by 100%.
“Ag education teaches students to use core knowledge in real-world settings and apply what they have learned outside the classroom,” says Aaron Anderson, the North Dakota Agriculture Education Supervisor. “Agriculture teachers have a vital role in teaching life skills that students need in order to be successful in college and their careers, so it is wonderful to have a day focused on celebrating all they do,” he continues.
National Teach Ag Day is designed to encourage others to teach school-based agriculture and recognize the important role that agriculture teachers play in our schools and communities. Currently, there is a national shortage of agriculture teachers in the United States, and National Teach Ag Day is part of a campaign to raise awareness of the career.
