Farm Director KC Sheperd spoke with Emily Ague to highlight these milestones and upcoming Oklahoma Agriculture Education opportunities for Oklahoma’s agricultural community.
Oklahoma’s impact on agricultural education continues to gain national recognition as Jacey Duncan (pictured above), a teacher at Oklahoma Union Public Schools, has been named a recipient of the National Excellence in Teaching About Agriculture Award. Duncan is one of only six educators in the nation to receive this honor this year.
Since 2002, Oklahoma has seen significant success in this program, with Duncan marking the state’s 10th national winner. This achievement highlights the state’s ongoing commitment to integrating agricultural literacy into the classroom.
Mrs. Jennifer Meyer was also choses as the 2026 Ag in the Classroom Teacher of the Year. Jennifer Meyer is a first-grade teacher at Grove Elementary School District in Shawnee. She has been teaching for 14 years and has taught at her current school for five years.
“I strive to make every day the best day ever for my students, and AITC resources make it easy to plan hands-on, high-impact lessons,” Meyer said. “These lessons allow both my beginning and confident readers to access agricultural concepts in student-friendly ways. I also involve families by sharing photos and encouraging students to talk about what they are learning at home. Inspired by the summer conference, I wrote a grant and organized our own school Ag Day. With support from colleagues, it has become an annual event our students eagerly anticipate.”
Mrs. Meyer has incorporated “Fun Ag Fridays” into her first-grade classroom. Every Friday, she focuses on teaching her students a cross-curricular lesson built around an agricultural topic. She says students are highly engaged and always looking forward to the next week. One of the fun Ag Fridays was about chickens and their life cycles and another one focused on pickles! They read books about cucumbers, pickles, plant life cycles, and even had pickle taste testing. She also regularly shares photos with the school app and social media. Mrs. Meyer shared that she hears from parents often that students are talking about agriculture at home, which lets her know that the lessons are making a difference!
Upcoming National and State Conferences
The agricultural education community is preparing for several key events designed to provide educators with new resources and networking opportunities:
- National Ag in the Classroom Conference: Scheduled for June 22-25 in Providence, Rhode Island. Oklahoma will have a strong presence, with educators presenting 14 different workshops. Both JC Duncan and Oklahoma’s Teacher of the Year will be formally recognized during the event.
- State Summer Conference: Taking place on July 7, this year’s conference moves to a new location at the Edmond Conference Center. The move to a hotel venue provides larger workshop rooms to accommodate increasing teacher involvement.
- Exhibitor Opportunities: Ag in the Classroom is currently seeking booths and sponsors for the state conference. Organizations interested in sharing agricultural resources with approximately 250 to 300 educators are encouraged to reach out for placement.
Interactive Youth Events: AgPalooza and OYE
New and established events are providing students with hands-on learning experiences this spring:
- AgPalooza: This inaugural event will debut on May 30 in Stockyards City. It serves as a collaborative showcase for various commodity groups and agricultural organizations to interact with the public through interactive booths and family-friendly activities.
- Oklahoma Youth Expo (OYE): Ag in the Classroom will be active at OYE on March 12 and 19. Starting at 1:00 PM on those dates, the program will host educational activities for younger children, offering a productive “day out” for families attending the show.
The Summer Road Trip for Educators
Registration is now open for the annual Summer Road Trip, held from June 9-11. This three-day professional development tour is sponsored by the Oklahoma Beef Council and focuses on the South Central region of the state, including stops in Pauls Valley and Madill.
The trip offers educators a first-hand look at Oklahoma agriculture, with priority registration for those who have not attended the tour before. Educators and extension members can register through the official Ag in the Classroom website.
