Ag Tech Workshop Descriptions

Friday Evening Sessions

Current FBM Issues

FIRST HALF – Program will include reports on program transition task force and related transition activities. Del Lecy will report on the statewide scorecard philosophy and uses for the improvement of the FBM program. Al Brudelie will report on the GIS project and current FBM demographics and how it can be used for optimal program management.

SECOND HALF – WIDS update, timeline, upcoming training and use by FBM faculty team members will be presented. The WIDS curriculum will be a very powerful and beneficial addition to everyone’s FBM program. In addition, an introduction of the next steps in the ongoing development of the instructional materials will be presented. A member of the Minnesota Department of Agriculture will be on hand to update and answer questions regarding the Minnesota Farm Assistance Network.

Student Teaching Workshop – Agricultural Education Faculty, University of MN

This workshop is intended for cooperating teachers and the student teachers they will host during spring semester 2010. Student teaching is the culminating experience in the Agricultural Education teacher preparation program at the University of Minnesota. Student teachers begin the process of becoming effective teachers and are supported by the mentoring of cooperating teachers. The goal of the workshop is to identify indicators of a successful student teaching experience; the Student Teaching Handbook will be reviewed.

"Bioethics - Our Use of Animals" – Dr. Tony Seykora, University of Minnesota
Ethical theories will be discussed and how they may be applied to contemporary issues relative to our use of animals. Main focus will be on food producing animals but we will also touch on the use of animals
for companions, research, and recreation.

Teaching Soil Health in the Classroom - (Labs in a Box) – Marcus Lewton, Ag-Ed Instructor

There are many variables that influence agriculture producers (moisture, light, abiotic factors). The one variable that a producer has the most control over is soil health. Soil Science is not only difficult to study, but we know very little about it. Most college courses concentrate on the abiotic (physical features) factors of soil science. One of the new frontiers in science tries to understand how all the biotic (living organisms) factors influence soil health. Research in the past decade has broken new ground in understanding the importance of soil health. This workshop will provide teachers with simple lab techniques in testing soil health and characteristics. Attendees will receive a soil health kit that they may utilize in their classroom. The kit utilizes both abiotic and biotic features of soil health.

Field Sprayer Workshop – Bruce White, South Central College & Curt Yoose, Ridgewater College

This workshop will cover the basic parts identification of a field sprayer and factors to consider in sprayer selection. Discussion will also focus on nozzle selection and calibration of the sprayer and the nozzles. This workshop will fit in nicely with the sprayer section of the Agricultural Mechanics CDE.

Advocating Agricultural Education In My Community – Ellen Thompson, Lecturer, South Dakota State University

How do we grow our programs in difficult economic times? This workshop is designed to help foster community support for your local program. The workshop will provide hands on examples of generating community support for career and technical education. The session will cover topics related to the Public Relations Tool Box project of MAAE.

Saturday Morning Workshops

FBM Workshops – instructors will need to select TWO one-hour workshops from the following choices.

FIRST HALF

Staying Positive – Ted Mathews

Ted will lead a discussion on the mental health issues and answer some of your questions. He’ll teach us the keys to remaining positive even in the negative environments.

Current Lending and Legal Issues – Attorney & Lending Official TBA

All of us have students in financial distress; the nature of the workshop is to learn what a bank goes through during a lender audit and what determines when a file/portfolio is in trouble. Included will be a brief discussion of the process of mediation, bankruptcy, and liens. Understanding that many of you may have experience in these issues or have attended workshops on the subject, this time maybe used to answer questions that may have come up since that training.

FINPACK – Tricks, Tips & QA – CFFM

Finpack update of the stand-alone balance sheet. How to access it and how it can make life easier for the FBM instructor. Plus a review of the useful tricks that make the Finan and Finflows go much easier.

SECOND HALF

Staying Positive - REPEAT

Current Lending and Legal Issues – REPEAT

Ag Plan/IFAM – CFFM

The center will introduce IFAM to you. IFAM is an educational website that explains the financial measures used by the industry. Also review the Ag Plan site and how it can be used to enhance your business planning education. Both sites can easily be incorporated into your student’s education and success.

Leveling and Land Measurement – Paul Aakre, University of Minnesota-Crookston

This workshop will demonstrate the proper procedures for using various types of levels for surveying. Note taking, leveling, and land measurement will be discussed. Participants will have the opportunity to set up and utilize various types of levels. This workshop will provide instruction to compliment the leveling and land measurement portion of the agricultural mechanics CDE.

Water, Food and Agriculture in Africa: Online Resources for Teachers - Dr. Paul Porter, Department of Agronomy and Plant Genetics, University of Minnesota
This session will provide participants with means and methods to teach (at the high school level) about water, food and agriculture during the spring of 2010.In spring 2009 Dr. Paul Porter traveled, by bicycle, across 5 African countries (Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania) observing the landscape and agroecosystems along the way. He now has compiled many photos and facts available online to use in K-12 classrooms. These
resources will be supplemented by the completion of the bicycle ride through 5 additional countries (Malawi, Zambia, Botswana, Namibia and South Africa) from March through early May in 2010. Through content
available on the internet, bring your students and travel along with Dr. Porter.

Minnesota Council on Economic Education – MCEE Staff

This session is specifically for those Ag-Ed instructors who are currently taking the MCEE Agricultural Economics Course through the University of Minnesota and is NOT open to other conference attendees.

The class meets all day Friday and Saturday during the Ag-Tech Conference.

Habitudes – Lavyne Rada, Ag-Ed Instructor, Hutchinson High School

Looking for a way to help your students develop the attitude of a leader? Habitudes are images that form leadership habits and attitudes. Habitudes is a sticky way to learn leadership because it involves an image, a relationship, and an experience-which enables leader to remember the principles. Come to experience this new way to form leadership in our students and to learn how to use it in your classroom.

Marketing Your FFA Chapter Online

Learn how to connect to your community with online marketing tools. You can reach your community by developing a web site with a targeted message that is developed and delivered to a targeted audience. During this training, you will learn how to identify the best message and deliver it online. You will identify your targeted audience and how to develop messages that encourages chapter participation. Lastly, you will learn how to publish a web site using leading-edge, web-based authoring tools.

What am I going to learn during this training session?

· How to define your chapter online marketing message.

· How to identify your targeted online audience.

· How to jump-start your online marketing initiative with pre-designed content.

· How to use the web-based authoring tools.

Who should attend?

· Advisors that desire to connect with their local community to encourage program participation. Who is conducting the training?

The training is conducted by Mark Flores, President of IntegraLogics – an Online Marketing company. IntegraLogics provides services to the Minnesota FFA Foundation and host the Minnesota FFA Association, Foundation, Alumni, and chapter web sites.

Teaching Soil Health in the Classroom - (Labs in a Box) - REPEAT

Advocating Agricultural Education In My Community - REPEAT

Saturday Afternoon

Closeout Season Tricks – Instructor Panel Discussion

Learn the tricks and process that experienced instructors use to make the closeout season run smoothly. No instructor has all the answers or perfect process, but hopefully you can find a tip or two that will help your closeout season run smoother.

Introduction of WIDS Usage in Your FBM Program – Dr. Richard Joerger, MnSCU

Dr. Joerger along with other involved in the curriculum and instructional design process will demonstrate the benefits of the WIDS curriculum incorporated into your curriculum. This workshop is more than just an intro; it will help guide you in the use of the site and curriculum.

SAE Workshop

With regional and state proficiency deadline season upon us this workshop is here for those of you who want some clarification on proficiency applications (whether you are a seasoned veteran or a new instructor). Join fellow teachers, state staff and MAAE SAE Committee members as they share tips, ideas and lessons learned to improve your student’s proficiency applications either this year or in the future. If you are working on applications and want to bring them along – please do so and plan to share ideas. Old examples of past state winners and national finalist application will be available.

CDE Open Forum

The CDE committee will be hosting an open forum to discuss and evaluate current CDE opportunities available to students. We would like to go through the rules of the events the activities involved in the events and look at possible ways to improve these events. We will be looking at and evaluating the following CDE’s: Creed, Dairy Foods, Livestock Evaluation and Meats. We would like input from the MAAE membership as we look at these events and how they line up with National. Presenters will be members of the CDE Committee along with input from Doug Hanson.

Increase Your Online Marketing Effectiveness

Learn how attract more web site traffic and keep your visitors coming back! People like fast, fresh, and interesting web sites and will take actions on sites that they trust. Learn how to get site visitors to register, submit, buy, donate, and sign up to participate in your chapter activities. This practical training identifies online marketing tools and methods that will promote your FFA chapter. Learn how to offer your web site visitors media albums filled with images of your chapter activities, awards, and individual achievements. These images will encourage your visitors to participate in your chapter. An events calendar provides site visitors an invitation to participate in your FFA program. Learn how to publish an online calendar and promote your events with email broadcasts. Online marketing initiatives will succeed, if you can capture and manage new participants. Learn how to leverage online marketing tools that distribute the labor of collecting and managing information. Web forms collect visitor information in a web site system database. Learn how to create the forms and access the information.

Who should attend?

· All Minnesota FFA advisors are welcome to attend; however this training is designed for advisors that have completed the Online Chapter Marketing training or have web site publishing experience.

MCEE – CONTINUED

Water, Food and Agriculture in Africa -REPEAT