Each year hundreds of South Dakota students learn about agriculture and are inspired to lead and serve by the efforts of their agriculture education teachers/FFA advisers. During FFA Week 2026, (Feb. 21-28) South Dakota Farmers Union would like to thank these men and woman for their positive impact on the next generation.

Cayla Graves, Platte-Geddes FFA Chapter

An agriculture education teacher and FFA adviser for 14 years, Cayla Graves said based on her experience there are two things her students will always remember after they graduate.

"Yes, I teach them a lot of important information about agriculture. And they will remember some of it. They will always remember the gestation of a sow because it's three months, three weeks and three days. But I know they will forget much of what I teach. But I also know students are not going to forget how I made them feel," Graves said. "I always just think, 'if I can be their bright spot for the day, and let them know that I care, even if home life stinks or their friends stink' - every kid needs to know that somebody cares for them.'"

Graves' efforts are not lost on her students, explained Mallory Gant, a senior at Platte-Geddes High School and FFA Chapter President. "Mrs. Graves cares on a deeper level," Gant said. "My freshman year I was new to Platte- Geddes. I knew no one. Walking into ag class was so intimidating and I was so nervous. Mrs. Graves welcomed me right away and she pushed me to do Creed Speaking and I went to state that year."

Witnessing FFA members grow and thrive is the rewarding part of teaching, Graves said. "Being an ag teacher is so special because I don't just get to know my students between the bells - I get to really know them because of all the extra time we spend together for FFA events and contests," Graves said. "When I encourage a student to try something because I see their potential and then they succeed - that's all I ever wanted in this job - to see them realize their own potential."

Graves recalled another freshman she encouraged to compete in the FFA Creed Speaking contest. The Creed Speaking contest is a contest where students memorize the FFA Creed and then present it before a panel of judges. "I had a freshman look at a paragraph of the Creed and he had it memorized just like that. I said, 'you have to do this.' And he said, 'no, I'm not going to and act like a Disney character.' And I said, 'you have a gift of memorizing, and this contest would be so awesome for you.' He finally committed and now he's hooked. Now he wants to try a different contest next year." Graves credits her mom, Carla Christiansen, a school secretary with her empathy. And she credits her grandma, Phyllis Christiansen, a school principal, with encouraging her to become a teacher.

"I was initially a pre-pharmacy major. But after I did some job shadowing, I realized, this is not for me," Graves said.

A farmkid from Volin, SD, Graves was actively involved in Ceres Women's Fraternity - an agriculture-focused organization at South Dakota State University. So, when she began looking for another career focus, her Ceres' sisters encouraged her to consider agriculture education.

Just like job shadowing showed Graves pharmacy was not the right fit, student teaching showed her that teaching was. "Student teaching was hard, but it seemed right because I could share my love for agriculture with kids and teach them about agriculture and also life skills."

Graves got her first teaching position a few years after graduation. She was working for South Dakota Cattlemen's Association but needed a different job because she was getting married to a Platte farmer. Fortunately, about the time Graves moved to Platte, the school was looking for a new agriculture education teacher. The time commitment it requires to be an FFA Adviser in addition to teaching can feel overwhelming at times. But Graves said it is this extra time that she spends before and after school and on the weekends with her students because of FFA contests, workshops and conventions that makes her career one she loves.

She also values the fact that her young daughters, Talli and Tressa, get to also spend time with her students outside of kindergarten and third grade. "When I stay after school helping students practice or prepare for an FFA contest, my girls are here with me. And I love the way my school kids love my biological children," Graves said. "Just the other day I was helping a student scan some forms and I looked up and my girls were dancing with some of my students to a song on the radio."

Shane Gross, Hitchcock-Tulare FFA Chapter

Hitchcock-Tulare FFA Adviser and agriculture education teacher Shane Gross frequently tells his students, "you never know what you are going to end up doing for a career, so the more information and skills you can gain today the more prepared you will be."

Gross knows this based on first-hand experience. He graduated from South Dakota State University planning to pursue a career in agriculture business but ended up teaching agriculture education instead.

Fourteen years later, he said he is happy his career path took the unexpected detour that it did. "I appreciate the variety of the work I do," Gross explained. "I'm not tied to one specific topic or space. Each class is so different. I could be in the shop teaching or in the classroom teaching about animal science or plant science or teaching hydroponics or helping students change the oil in a tractor or process meat."

With the overarching goal of exposing his students to a broad look at agriculture as well as diverse leadership opportunities , Gross has a rule that freshman and sophomore FFA members need to try new and different contests. "I push our students to experience as many new things as I can. This may mean they only compete in one specific contest for one or two years, and maybe they will not win the state competition, but by the time they graduate they will have experienced more than one career development area."

While diverse experiences are important, Gross is also determined to help students discover their talents, explained senior Sienna Stoner. "I was doing meats judging and I really was not catching on. So, Mr. Gross asked, 'are you open to trying something else? I'm willing to help you.' And then he asked me what I was interested in. We decided the nursery landscape career development event would be a good thing for me to try. We learned about the contest together. The first year it was rocky, but I did really well last year, I placed in every event and qualified for state." The culture of success that Mr. Gross fosters is the reason Chapter President Regan Lutter enjoys taking agriculture education classes and being involved in FFA. "I like all the different variety of skills we gain through contests - like land judging or parliamentary procedure. Everyone is welcome in FFA, and everyone has a place where they can excel. FFA is literally built so that everyone can join, no matter what your background is."

This is exactly the message Gross shares with students. "You don't know that you will like something until you try it. It's good to get out of your comfort zone. There are alumni who didn't want to try meats judging, but they did, and it turned out they really liked it. And then they ended up judging meats on the SDSU meats team," Gross explained. Like his students, Gross attended Hitchcock-Tulare High School. He taught for eight years at another school, but decided to return home in 2020. "Mr. Brink built a really strong program, and the community had high expectations, so I am grateful I was able to teach and learn and grow so that I could return home a seasoned teacher," Gross said.

Gross added that his hometown supports FFA. "I always stress to my students how good our school district, our administration and our school board is to us," Gross said.

Gross enjoyed his FFA experience so much that as a senior he ran for a State FFA Office and was elected to serve as the 2008-2009 State FFA Treasurer.