Low-tech biotech: Mushrooms engineered into eco-friendly packing material

Here at FFA, we continue to be amazed by the creativity and innovation we see in the world of agriculture.

Mike Groll | associated press
Gavin McIntyre, left, and Eben Bayer, co-founders of Ecovative Design, demonstrate some of their eco-friendly packaging forms made from mushrooms at their company in Green Island, N.Y.

Recently, The Columbus Dispatch (Ohio) featured two young entrepreneurs who figured out how to make eco-friendly material from mycelium – the hidden “roots” of the mushroom that thread beneath dirt and wood.  Their company Ecovative Design, is growing rapidly inking deals with companies such as Sealed Air Corp. which is famous for Bubble Wrap.

And, where did the inspiration for their ground-breaking product come from? The farm, of course:

Bayer noticed mycelium’s “stretchy” properties as a kid growing up on a Vermont farm. As students, he and McIntyre started with mushroom-based insulation, but they switched to packaging material because it seemed a better business bet.

So, FFA members, as your working on your Supervised Agricultural Experiences on farms and in gardens, laboratories and classrooms everywhere, remember that you may be the one to discover the next great agricultural product!

Read the full article:

Mushrooms engineered into eco-friendly packing material

FFA comes to Iowa with NASCAR driver Justin Allgaier

NASCAR driver Justin Allgaier will race in the heart of the midwest Sunday, in a state known for its agriculture. It’s fitting, perhaps, that FFA will be racing right alongside him.

Riding along on the right rear trunk panel of his No. 31 BRANDT Racing Chevrolet — just as it has since February — will be the FFA emblem thanks to a relationship that the National FFA Organization has bridged with his sponsor, BRANDT Consolidated, Inc. The car is a hard one to miss with a bright red-orange paint scheme.

BRANDT President and CEO Rick Brandt has directed his company to put an all-agriculture car on track in 2012 with goals to spotlight the hard work and dedication that powers agriculture.

“At Brandt, we are deeply committed to the future of agriculture. And, I am thrilled to have such an iconic, like-minded organization join our team for the 2012 season,” said Brandt. “Simply put, through its long history the FFA has shaped the future of agriculture: They transform students into industry leaders.”

Join us: Conference call with USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack

FFA members and students in agricultural education across the country have been invited to a special meeting Monday with the head of the United States Department of Agriculture.

USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack is hosting a live conference call Monday, May 7, 2012, to discuss the importance of agricultural education with youth across the country. He’ll also be discussing the need to keep higher education affordable.

We’d love for FFA members to join the call, and share their input on the importance of agriculture education. If you’re interested, here are the call details:

Monday, May 7 – 11-11:30am EDT
Phone Number: 888-396-9931
Passcode: SECY (Given Verbally)

We’ll be on the call, and we look forward to hearing your thoughts during and after! Use hashtag #AgEdCall on Twitter to join the conversation!

Robots are Future Farmers of America?

MIT professor Mary “Missy” Cummings says that robots may begin playing a more significant role in the agriculture industry. According the CNBC report:

Another area primed for robotics is the farming industry. Farmers cannot find enough people to do the the field work, so crop dusting has become and up and coming technologies.

There are currently robot tractors and robot helicopters that exist that can coordinate and perform harvesting and crop dusting without humans, and this technology is ready to be adopted whenever a business model is figured out, Cummings said.

“The technology is pretty much ready to go. … I think it’s just making the connection to the business model. … I think we are there, we are on the cusp of that, but we just need the business model,” Cummings said.

Cummings estimates though that it will be about one to three years when these types of robotic farming equipment will be in use.

Many people fear that the use of robotics will lead to fewer jobs for humans. But, we see this as a potential opportunity for FFA members.  The agriculture industry of future may need engineers who can design these robots and people with enough skill and knowledge to operate them on the farm. So, if you’re someone who likes math, mechanics and/or computer technology, now is a great time to be planning a future career in agriculture!

For a more detailed explanation of the types of robotics currently in development for agriculture check out the article titled “These May be the Droids Farmers are Looking for” on Wired.com.

Seeing the light come on…

In honor of Teach Ag Day, we’ve invited a few of the former Ag teachers we have on staff at the National FFA Center to tell us what makes teaching ag such a rewarding experience. Here are some thoughts from Kevin Keith, Local Program Success Specialist.

Kevin is from Northwestern Wisconsin and graduated from Bruce High School in 1974 where he was actively involved in Vocational Agriculture and the FFA for four years.  He served as an agricultural education instructor and FFA advisor at Denmark School in Denmark, WI for seven years. During his years as Ag Ed Instructor and FFA advisor the Denmark FFA Chapter grew to more than 470 members and the FFA Alumni grew to over 600 members. He also served as State Agricultural Education Consultant in Wisconsin for 11 years before joining the National FFA Organization in 1996.

My favorite memories of teaching agriculture come from the times I worked with students on new concepts or information, especially when they had trouble understanding or making that “thing” work properly.

Why Teach Ag?

In honor of Teach Ag Day, we’ve invited a few of the former Ag teachers we have on staff at the National FFA Center to tell us 

what makes teaching Ag such a rewarding experience. Below are some thoughts from Jim Armbruster,Senior Relations Specialist.

During his career, Jim taught agricultural education in Marana and Yuma Arizona, spending 19 years as a classroom teacher. Jim earned his Bachelor of Science (1979) and Master of Science (1992) degrees at the University of Arizona.

Jim and Cindy have been married for 27 years, raising 4 children of their own and providing a safe home for four additional foster children.  All of the children raised in the Armbruster family have been or are active members of the National FFA Organization, with the exception of his 5 year old granddaughter–she’s too young, unfortunately, but is off to a good start raising horses and hedge hogs of her own!

Join the Teach Ag Day Virtual Celebration!

On March 15, our friends at NAAE are hosting the first ever National Teach Ag Day virtual celebration. It will be streamed live from at Buena Park High School in Buena Park, California.

During the celebration, you can hear remarks from National FFA president Ryan Best and tour Buena Park’s agriculture program.

You’ll also be able to use Facebook or Twitter to submit questions to a panel of agricultural education experts about majoring in agricultural education, getting a job as an agricultural educator, and what it’s like to teach agriculture.

The celebration will take place from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. PST on Thursday, March 15 at http://www.naae.org/teachag/live2012.php

 

FFA members in 12 states continue push to connect with local farmers

It’s no secret that networking is a pivotal step toward a bright career in any industry. With that in mind – and a chance to win some substantial prizes for their FFA chapter – FFA members in 12 states are producing new connections with local farmers at an incredible rate.

Just over a month after the 2012 FFA Chapter Challenge launched, 12,695 people have logged-in to http://www.FFAChapterChallenge.com to register a vote for one of 809 FFA chapters. The individual FFA chapters are competing for some considerable prizes totaling $300,000 – with the chapter receiving the most overall votes receiving an expenses-paid trip to October’s 85^th National FFA Convention in Indianapolis. The competition is only expected to increase with FFA members going out in force during next week’s National FFA Week ahead of the program closing on Feb. 29.

Ag Students, take heart. Your degrees aren’t useless.

An article recently posted on Yahoo! Education website is causing quite a stir within the Ag community.

The article, entitled “College Majors That Are Useless,” claims that the number one most useless degree is Agriculture. (Animal Science and Horticulture are listed as the number four and number five.)

The author of this article, Terence Loose, makes it pretty clear that he has a narrow view of the types of jobs available to a person with and Agriculture degree:

Milking by Design

The Agri-Entrepreneurship Awards honor FFA members who recognize market opportunities and develop solid business plans which capitalize on them. Awards are available at the chapter, state and national levels.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

All Agri-Entrepreneurship Award applicants will receive a rating of bronze, silver, gold, or national winner. Ten National Agri-Entrepreneurship Award winners are selected annually. Each winner receives a $1,000 award and is recognized onstage during the National FFA Convention. The winners’ projects are also featured in a booth at the National FFA Agricultural Career Show. The winners’ FFA chapters also receive a $500 grant to help them promote entrepreneurship in their agriculture programs.

The Agri-Entrepreneurship Program is sponsored by USDA Rural Development as a special project of the National FFA Foundation.

Here is a profile on one of this year’s 10 winners…

ST Farms Dairy 

Name: Chris Heiser
Age: 17
Chapter: Lamar FFA
Parents: Marie and Greg Heiser
Advisor: Larry Bacchus

When Chris Heiser of Lamar, Ark., received a youth loan from Farm Credit Services of Western Arkansas, he knew what he wanted to do. He always dreamed of owning cattle so he bought Dexter cattle and embarked on a milk production business.

He started milking by hand and then began producing butter by utilizing a homemade device that would churn the butter. The device, which utilizes a mixer and a jar, was designed and constructed by Heiser.