The Nebraska FFA Foundation’s Board of Directors is made up of passionate volunteers that provide leadership and strategic governance for the organization. These individuals are active fundraisers and provide oversight for the Nebraska FFA Foundation.

• Vernon Benes, President
• Kyle Perry, Vice President
• Jennifer Wood, Secretary
• Glenn Baumert, Treasurer
• Shane Belohrad
• Katherine Byrne
• Matt Dolch
• Kim Fehringer
• Kyla Habrock
• John Langemeier
• Jerry Lentfer
• Jeff Rudolph
• Dean Settje
• Lance Atwater
• Mark Fahleson
• Brady Jenschke
• Ron Preston
• Jeff Moore, Ex-officio, Represents the Nebraska FFA Association
• Rich Douglass, Ex-officio, Represents the Nebraska FFA Alumni and Supporters Council
• Kris Spath, Ex-officio, Represents the Nebraska Agriculture Educators Association
• Stacey Agnew, Ex-offcio, Executive Director

This volunteer team is dedicated to the implementation of the Nebraska FFA Foundation’s sustainable funding model to increase individual engagement and giving to support the mission of the Nebraska FFA Foundation.

• Kara Anderson
• Lisa Brass
• Katherine Byrne
• Cheyenne Chromy
• Matt Dolch
• Kyla Habrock
• Ellie Havlat
• Jerry Lentfer
• Brad Nygren
• Morgan Ochsner
• Kyle Perry
• Jessica Rudolph
• Dean Settje
• Nora Turner
• Ed Woeppel
• Brad Nygren
• Stacey Agnew
• Abby Kaiser
• Sarah Mullen

Stacey Agnew, Executive Director

Sarah Mullen, Development and Marketing Manager

Victoria Broders, Program Manager

Abby Kaiser, Development Coordinator

Growing up, Katie Nolles knew she wanted to work in agriculture but she thought she’d end up in agricultural journalism. She changed her mind when she was a junior in high school. Her mom, a former agriculture teacher became the long-term sub for her own agriculture teacher. Seeing everything her mom poured into students who were only in her care for a few months inspired Nolles. She recalls getting to help her mom as a teaching assistant.

“I fell in love with seeing the lightbulb go off with students, and helping them believe in themselves,” Nolles said.
 
Just as Nolles wants to invest her time in helping her students believe in themselves, the Nebraska FFA Foundation is working to do the same for agriculture educators. The Foundation invests in teachers and their students by providing funding for professional development opportunities like Curriculum for Agricultural Science Education (CASE) institutes.  These two-week trainings provide educators with a very robust, impactful and easy-to-implement curriculum that connects science and technology to agriculture education. The CASE institute typically costs anywhere from $2,500 to $3,000 each time.

After experiencing and assisting her mom in teaching, Nolles knew early on that curriculum mattered and she wanted to be prepared. While in college, she heard about the Foundation paying for pre-service teachers to attend a CASE institute for free and decided to take advantage.

“Thanks to the generous partnership of the Nebraska FFA Foundation, I obtained my first CASE certification as a student teacher,” explained Nolles. “As a first-year teacher, it was so helpful to already have curriculum that I knew was solid for one of my classes. As I continue to obtain more CASE certifications, I continue to appreciate having quality curriculum for my students. The CASE curriculum has allowed me to see my students’ lightbulbs go off because of the inquiry-based and problem-solving nature that it has.”

Nolles has been certified in three areas of CASE curriculum: Principles of Ag Science- Animal, Natural Resources and Ecology and Ag Business Foundations.

The McCool Junction FFA has implemented unique ways to honor and remember past FFA members and teachers at their school with the Clay Real Memorial Animal Learning Barn and memorial garden.

The McCool Junction FFA chapter has utilized local and state support to receive donations through the I Believe in the Future of Ag program and Nebraska FFA Foundation grant to purchase materials for their animal learning barn. The money for the barn originally went to purchase the barn and basic learning materials. Now the animal learning barn has grown to include rabbits, frogs, geckos, cows and goats. The chapter received grant funds in 2019 to purchase a camera system to watch the nocturnal animals and births while not in school. They also have used the funds towards facility updates, veterinary bills, feed for the animals and new equipment.

In 2020, the chapter received another grant to start a memorial garden at their school to remember and honor individuals from their school and community. They currently have a pergola built for their garden thanks to the grant and I Believe in the Future of Ag funds. This year’s project is to add the brick memorial walkway.

FFA Chapters all across Nebraska are creating innovative hands-on projects like McCool Junction by receiving funds through the I Believe in the Future of Ag campaign or Nebraska FFA Foundation grant. Eleven Nebraska FFA chapters and 16 FFA members were awarded funds through the 2020 Nebraska FFA Foundation chapter grant program. The grants are to support Nebraska agricultural education classrooms, FFA programs and individual student entrepreneurship Supervised Agricultural Experiences. Funds are provided by the Nebraska FFA Foundation and its general fund donors. The grant recipient projects ranged from CNC plasma table to greenhouses to poultry production.

Grady Johnson’s love of farming started as soon as he could walk. He credits his family’s operation for allowing him to learn and be involved at such a young age. Grady grew up near Holdrege, with his dad Blake, mom Holly and two younger brothers, Quinn and Jett. In October 2021, Grady was honored the American Star Farmer because of his dedication in growing his Supervised Agriculture Experience (SAE) in three different areas.

Johnson had been working on the family farm his whole life, but as he grew older he knew he wanted to start his own business. In 2015, he bought feeder lambs and began his sheep production SAE. Johnson liquidated his flock to attend college and fulfill state officer obligations in 2018.

His second SAE is in the area of crop production where he rents irrigated cropland. He manages the day-to-day operations on both his own and his dad’s corn and soybean operation. “My main goal has been to increase efficiency,” Johnson says. He’s begun implementing new technologies such as irrigation probes, precision planting and spraying technology and implementation of variable rate yield. He also oversees interviewing, training and payroll for five employees from South Africa.

Lastly, Johnson expanded his SAE in the area of forage production. He says he saw the need for better residue management as the operation began to grow more continuous corn on corn. He began this SAE in 2018 and has tripled the number of bales contracted in the last three years.

Johnson was named American Star Farmer at the 2021 National FFA Convention. This means he demonstrated the top production agriculture SAE in the nation. Requirements to achieve this award include demonstrating high-level management skills, completing key agricultural education, scholastic and leadership requirements and earning an American FFA Degree, the highest degree awarded in the National FFA Organization.

He says the three things he’s learned are the importance of record keeping, the importance of networking with industry professionals and management skills to continue to build his business with his SAEs. He says the ability to compete in public speaking events and make connections with industry professionals across the state and nation from his experiences in FFA have all shaped his future.

Johnson is a senior at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He plans to move back to the farming operation upon graduation in May. He credits his Supervised Agricultural Experiences as allowing him to start and build up his operations so he can return home after college.