The hallmark of this push for agriculture education is to know it and to value it.

As an agriculture teacher and FFA Advisor at Seneca High School, I knew the valuable partner we had in Kentucky Farm Bureau for the Urban AgriScience Magnet Program. What I didn’t know was that encouragement from other Farm Bureau members would forever change what I hoped to gain from my life, eventually leading to becoming Kentucky’s Excellence in Ag state winner, an honor I’ll always value.

I became a member of Farm Bureau to support my students. Daniel Wright was the County Young Farmer Chair and his wife, Kristan, was my co-teacher at Seneca. They encouraged me to join in the Young Farmer outings and conferences.

What I found was professional development that kept me, and therefore my students, at the top of what was up and coming in the ag industry. But over time, I realized that it wasn’t just great professionally. I wanted to be more involved in production agriculture for years but didn’t see a way that I could afford land to do that.

Through sessions in the Young Farmer Program, that path became clearer and, in a few years, I had my 40-acre sheep farm, incredibly supportive friends, and a new career that allows me to advocate for thousands of students across the state through agriculture education.

In becoming involved in the Excellence in Ag competition, sharing the story of agriculture at Seneca was part of what has made that program so successful for me. A majority of my presentation was sharing how Kristan and I took the ag program from the precipice of closure into a spotlight for urban agriculture education in the U.S. However I also had the opportunity to share current work in agriculture education through my current role at the Kentucky Department of Agriculture as Director of Agriculture Education and Outreach.

In March, we are making big waves across the state to provide more access to agriculture education for Kentucky’s kids through eight initiatives. Once again, Kentucky Farm Bureau is stepping up to support that work.

It's a project near and dear to my heart because of the impact it will make on these kids who will grow into adults. While not all of them will go into the agriculture industry professionally, they will be agriculturally aware consumers, able to vote with more background on the industry that provides life's resources, and go into the grocery store making confident decisions for their families.

The hallmark of this push for agriculture education is to know it and to value it. Through the work in my Division, Kentucky's kids will both know and value agriculture and hopefully see their future in it.

I’m thankful that when I chose to take the step, Kentucky Farm Bureau was there to encourage, support, and value the work that I do within the industry.

Bethany Mattingly
Kentucky Department of Agriculture
Division Director, Agriculture Education and Outreach
2024 KFB Excellence in Ag Winner