Arizona FFA Foundation News

Arizona FFA Foundation Awards

$536,353 in Grants

The vision of the Arizona Agricultural Education/FFA Foundation is to secure resources to support, enhance, and strengthen the educational and leadership effectiveness of the Arizona Association FFA, the Arizona FFA Alumni Association, the Department of Agricultural Education, Technology and Innovation at The University of Arizona, and the Arizona Agriculture Teachers' Association while maintaining positive relationships with students, teachers, business and industry representatives, and the community.

This year we hit a record number in support provided through the Foundation because of the generous donors who cultivate this vision with us by sponsoring awards, programs, scholarships, the Blue & Gold Gala and Bustin Clay for FFA.

During the State FFA Leadership Conference, on June 9th, at Centennial Hall, the Foundation Board provided two check presentations. The Board gathered on stage while President, Heather Rayner presented Kaden Zimmerman, Arizona Association FFA State President with a grant for $407,518.

Following the presentation, she presented a check to Dr. Robert Torres and Dr. Amber Rice of the Department of Agricultural Education, Technology and Innovation in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at the University of Arizona with a grant for $59,500.

The following month, Foundation Executive Director, Rochell Planty attended the Arizona Agriculture Teachers Association, Summer Conference where she had an opportunity during their banquet to present Sharon Metzger, 2022-2023 AATA President with a grant for $69,335.

The Foundation is truly committed to supporting the efforts of these organizations to continue to strengthen agriculture education and FFA in Arizona.

State FFA Camp Made A Positive Impact

The State FFA Leadership Camp brought together 213 youth and camp leadership staff from across Arizona, for a week in the beautiful pines of Heber, Arizona. "Life’s A Wave", theme provided the staff an opportunity to make a positive impact on the students through a series of leadership workshops, team building activities, community service projects and bonding.

Foundation Director, Rochell Planty had the opportunity to visit camp for a few days this year. Rochell shared, "I was involved with camp at many different levels through attending as a former camper, State Officer, counselor and Camp Director. It has been approximately 30 years since I attended camp. This trip brought back many great memories of my experiences. This was one of the best events as a student that I attended over three years. There is a reason the students return each year while in high school. The leadership workshops and friendships that are built will last a lifetime. This is a program that I would encourage any student to attend."

The camp staff under the leadership of Camp Director, Jared Biciolis, did an amazing job! This was the first State FFA event the new State Officer Team attended after just being elected more than a week prior. The students are divided into small groups with a counselor and State Officer leading each group.

Rochell shared, " I was able to listen in on some small group activities and one of the questions the students were presented with was, "Who has made an impact on your life and why?". As I thought back to the day I sat in that same seat, it reminded me of those individuals that made an impact on my life during my high school years. As an adult I had the opportunity to go through the same exercise and evaluate what my answer was today. A few of those individuals remained the same as my agriculture teachers. As I have gone through life, that list has expanded but two of those individuals remain the same today as they were back during high school. FFA Camp is a program that I know teachers encourage students to attend and I am grateful that my teachers did that for me".

One of the unique activities during camp are the community service projects. The projects are funded through the support of the Holbrook Pyle Foundation. This year the students completed eight projects which included:

Birdhouses for Camp Shadow Pines
Tied Blankets for the Payson Warming Center
Assembled Back to School Backpacks for Payson Unified School District
Created Jared’s Boxes for Banner Payson Medical Center
Assembled Homeless Care Kits for Payson Warming Center
Created Ben’s Bells for Ben’s Bells Phoenix
Created Dog Toys for the Humane Society of Central Arizona
Assembled Baby Care Kits for DCS Office in Payson

In addition to the eight community service projects during camp, the students also assisted in assembling educational packets for the Arizona Farm Bureau, Ag In the Classroom Program to help kick off the new academic year. We are grateful for the many donors that support the State FFA Camp.

If you would like to be a part of supporting the State FFA Leadership Camp, please reach out to Rochell Planty at rochell@azffafoundation.org to visit about the many opportunities that are available and how you can make an impact for students.

Be a Part of Making an Impact

Be a part of making an impact for students and future leaders by becoming a sponsor for the 2023-2024 academic year! Your gift helps us provide educational and leadership opportunities to over 12,000 members and agriculture educators.

The Foundation could not accomplish our vision without the tremendous support of donors. Below is a link to the full list of sponsorship opportunities available. Here are just a few to consider.

Food Science and Technology Career Development Event
Marketing Plan Leadership Development Event
Agriculture Teachers Ideas Unlimited Program
Foundation Technology Sponsor
FFA Membership Cards
Newsletter Sponsor
Scholarships

If you are interested in supporting one of the programs or would like additional information, please contact Rochell Planty at Rochell@azffafoundation.org

Click Here for a List of Sponsorship Opportunities

Greetings from AATA

Hello! My name is Jared Biciolis and I was recently elected the President of the Arizona Agriculture Teacher’s Association for the 2023-2024 term. I am starting my 7^th Year in the profession, with the last 5 of those years being spent at Peoria High School in Peoria, AZ. Even though I have been an Educator for only 7 years, I have been involved in Agricultural Education for nearly the past 18 in multiple roles including FFA member, State FFA President, and Educational Consultant for Arizona FFA.

We have an exciting year ahead of us in Agricultural Education here in the Grand Canyon State. We just wrapped up our annual Summer Conference where over 70 in our profession gathered for professional development, networking, and camaraderie. We are hosting our first ever Board Strategic Planning Summit in Litchfield here in August and our annual Fall Professional Development Conference in Cochise County this late September. We are also extremely excited to showcase our state by hosting our entire profession on a national level as the National Association for Agricultural Educator’s Convention will be in Phoenix this late November. Besides just hosting these staple events, we are committed as an association to continue to find bold solutions for some of our greatest challenges including the retention of qualified agriculture teachers and support/advocacy for our profession with both local school administrations and state-wide affiliates. We are excited to fully run our Three-Year Teacher Retention Program (which has been generously funded from the Foundation for the first time) and hope that this program and other initiatives we have planned can continue to strengthen Agricultural Education in our state.

As always, we are extremely appreciative of the support of the Arizona FFA/Agricultural Education Foundation. I speak with confidence when I say without you, we would not be remotely close to the bright trajectory that we are currently on, so thank you. We would also love to connect with you and have you meet some of the best in our profession to demonstrate the great things we are doing for students. If you are interested in attending one of our events or want to visit a specific program, we would be more than happy to have you, so please reach out. Thank you again and I look forward to connecting and working with you this year as we continue to make positive strides in the name of Arizona Agricultural Education.

Sincerely,

Jared Biciolis

Agriculture Teachers Are Life-Long Learners

The Arizona Agriculture Teachers Association held a two-day program in June where they stepped back into the student roll to expand their knowledge. Jake Dillard, Agriculture Techer from Campo Verde High School and Amy Dillard, Agriculture Teacher from Highland High School, coordinated the Agriculture Tours held June 20-21 in the West Valley.

We are grateful for the educational grant received by the Maricopa County Farm Bureau to support this program for the past two years. This year the teachers had an opportunity to visit Rousseau Farming Company where they learned about the skilled labor demand, watermelon quality standards, and water resources. Western Milling provided a presentation on the process of the mill and the teachers created feed ingredient ID resource kits for their classroom. Conklin Rose Company provided a tour and shared the process of growing bare root and patio rose trees. Bales Hay showcased the new steamer and the economics of growing hay in Arizona.

Each year the teachers have the chance to visit a few local agriculture education programs to see how other teachers run their programs, the set up and hear some highlights of those programs. This year the program visits included: Trivium, Desert Edge, Canyon View, Peoria, and Buckeye.

The 8th annual Blue & Gold Gala ticket sales are now live! This has become the signature event of the year that you don't want to miss!! There are more than 270 tickets already sold for the event that will be held January 27, 2024, at the Renaissance Phoenix Glendale Hotel & Spa.

'The Biggest Night in Arizona Agriculture' will bring together more than 650 attendees to celebrate agriculture education and FFA in Arizona. This night brings together supporters from all aspects of the agriculture industry and other key industries. The evening will feature a reception, silent auction, dinner, live auction, and dancing. We will honor the Agriculturalist of the Year and the Blue & Gold Honoree. Professional auctioneer, Anna Aja will be returning. The Dina Preston Band will be providing the entertainment during the reception and for the after party. We are very excited to have Cory McCloskey from Fox 10 serving as the emcee this year.

Sponsorship opportunities range from Gold to Bronze Level which all include a table of 10. Grab your friends and colleagues to secure a table sponsorship. The Friends of the Blue & Gold include opportunities ranging from $10,000 down to the patron support of $500.

Do you have a product or service you would like to promote through the event or enjoy creating special gift baskets that you would like to make a contribution? We are seeking donations for the silent auction. The silent auction is viewed by those attending the event and many others through the online platform.

We are grateful for Arizona Farm Bureau and Farm Bureau Financial Services for serving as the title sponsor for the past eight years!

To purchase tickets, become a sponsor or donate to the silent auction, visit our website: www.blueandgoldgala.org.

We hope you will join us for an amazing night! Here is a quick teaser from the 2023 Blue & Gold Gala!

Teach Ag Academy 2023 Highlights

The Foundation is proud to support the Teach Ag Academy. This program provides an amazing opportunity for prospective agriculture educators to get a glimpse of what this rewarding career has to offer. This program is coordinated by The Agriculture Education, Technology and Innovation Department (AETI) in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at the University of Arizona.

The 2023 Teach Ag Academy was held July 11-14 at the University of Arizona and it was a success! This year there were 23 students that participated in the program this year. During the academy, students participated in several activities including a welcome dinner where they met faculty and staff, familiarized themselves with the campus during a scavenger hunt, heard from ag teachers and representatives through workshops, visited a local program, conquered the 4-H High Ropes Course, and had the opportunity to teach their very own lesson! Among other activities, these students got to experience Teach Ag at UA!

A special thank you to Dr. Amber Rice who leads the program, Paige Johnson, AETI Student worker, Dr. Robert Torres and the many students, and current agriculture teachers who served on panels, provided presentations and served as group leadership during the program.

We can't wait to see how many students register to attend this program in 2024. A special thank you to The Jace Roeder Foundation for sponsoring the Teach Ag Academy T-shirts!

Unique Branded Accent Decor for Sale

These unique decor pieces could serve as a centerpiece, accent on your patio, livingroom or office. Arizona Cattle Brand decor boxes are available for a donation of $50 per box!

We have around 20 remaining from the 2023 Blue & Gold Gala. Add a unique piece of decor to your home or office. They are 10 x 10 light-weight boxes with decor rocks across the top and accented with faux succulents. No maintenance! Add a unique element and rustic look to any room while showcasing the Arizona cattle industry and supporting FFA!

Visit www.blueandgoldgala.org to see the boxes available and to purchase. Hurry while they last! Pick up can be arranged in the Phoenix area!

FFA Alumni Member Attributes FFA

To Whom She Is Today

By Meagan Kimmerle

This summer we had the opportunity to interview Jaisyn Wolfe, an alumni of the Gila Ridge FFA in Yuma. She has an encouraging story about how FFA impacted her life and helped shape who she is today, from her confidence in public speaking, to her many opportunities at a local, state, and national level.

Jaisyn began her involvement with FFA at a young age volunteering at the local FFA Golf tournament. Her true involvement started when she became a member of the Gila Ridge FFA Chapter in Yuma, Arizona in her freshman year in 2016. Jaisyn was involved in many contests and events during her time in FFA. She held multiple offices, her highest being Chapter Vice President her senior year. She competed in many Career Development and Leadership Development Events (CDEs/LDEs) at the regional and state level such as Creed Speaking, Aquaculture, Agriculture Education, Soils, Poultry Evaluation, Job Interview, and Wildlife. Jaisyn had two Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAEs) that included Goat and Cattle Production. She raised goats and calves for her local fair each year. She participated in the SkillsUSA Conference in Virginia/Washington DC, her sophomore year of high school. At this event her team had the opportunity to advocate for Career and Technical Education (CTE) funding and talked to state representatives and their assistants about why funding CTE is important to us and to future generations. FFA also allowed her to volunteer in her community at different local events, organization events, and company holiday dinners.