Purdue Agricultural Sciences Education and Communication

06/01/2026

Congratulations to the May 2026 Farmer of the Month, Lindsay Buck! Lindsay is a 2026 graduate of the Transition to Teaching (TTT) program through the College of Education, Purdue University and is an agricultural education teacher at Rossville Jr/Sr High School. What a great recognition for her!

In celebration of the American Farm Bureau Federation's International Year of the Woman Farmer, Tippecanoe County Farm Bureau is proud to recognize women of all ages who are making a meaningful impact on local agriculture. 🌱

We’re honored to announce that Lindsay Buck is our Local Woman Farmer of the Month for May 2026! 👏

◼️ Can you share a little information about your background in agriculture?

I grew up on a small livestock farm, then became active in 4-H and FFA. From there, I studied agribusiness management, crop science, entrepreneurship, and education at Purdue University. I am currently an agricultural educator and FFA advisor at Rossville High School. My husband and I farm 250 acres of row crops on the east side of Tippecanoe County, where we will also be operating a produce stand this summer.

◼️ What impact do you hope to make in your farm, business, or community?

As an ag teacher and FFA advisor, I hope to provide numerous opportunities for growth and development related to my students’ interests. The best part about FFA is that there is a place for every student to fit in, whether or not they grew up in agriculture. My job is to help those students find their place in the industry that feeds the world.

◼️ What does being a woman in agriculture mean to you?

Being a young woman in agriculture means that I have a role and responsibility that should not be taken for granted. As a leader in my community and a role model for my students, it’s important that I highlight the value of hard work. I am grateful to have had many strong women in agriculture before me to guide me in the right direction, and I hope to do the same for those who come after me.

Please join us in congratulating Lindsay on this well-deserved recognition! Nominations for Local Woman Farmer of the Month will open on June 1st. 📩

05/30/2026

Congratulations to Ms. Laura Crosby and Mr. Cameron Frazier, both alums, who have been selected to serve as National FFA Teacher Ambassadors this coming year! We are proud of the impact our alumni continue to have on students and teachers across the state.

Danville FFA and Ag Education Program
South Putnam FFA

Purdue Agriculture
College of Education, Purdue University

Congratulations to Indiana agricultural educators and FFA advisors, Ms. Laura Crosby from Danville and Mr. Cameron Frazier from South Putnam, on being selected as National FFA Teacher Ambassadors!

National FFA Teacher Ambassadors are agricultural educators who are trained to provide professional development, training, and resources to fellow teachers across the country, while also serving as subject-matter experts in agricultural education.

In this role, they will help support more than 13,000 FFA advisors across the United States, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands during their year of service, which begins in June.

This marks Ms. Crosby’s third year and Mr. Frazier’s fourth year serving as Teacher Ambassadors, reflecting their continued commitment to supporting agricultural education nationwide.

We are incredibly proud to see Indiana represented at the national level and look forward to the continued impact both educators will make in agricultural education and FFA!

05/30/2026

This weekend is the Mentone Egg Festival. Serving as the Egg Festival Parade's Grand Marshall is Mr. Forrest Kantner, retired Indiana agriculture teacher. Check out this article detailing the impact of Mr. Kantner's teaching career in Indiana; he started and revived several agricultural education programs which are still thriving today!

https://timesuniononline.com/stories/veteran-forrest-kantner-is-egg-festivals-parade-grand-marshal,285627?

New Prairie FFA
NorthWood High School FFA
Tippecanoe Valley High School FFA

We found this fun story about one of our alumni! Forrest Kantner, former vocational ag teacher, is being honored by serving as the grand marshal for the 2026 Mentone Egg Festival. https://timesuniononline.com/stories/veteran-forrest-kantner-is-egg-festivals-parade-grand-marshal

05/28/2026

Our ASEC alums work across all areas of the education spectrum. Here, learn about the work that alum Cora Hill (2021) is doing in Allen County, Indiana as an Agriculture and Natural Resources Extension Educator.

As more Indiana residents move to cities and suburbs, they have found ways to stay connected to agriculture — raising chickens, growing small pots of tomatoes and contributing to community-managed gardens in their new settings. Purdue Extension agriculture and natural resources (ANR) educators are...

05/28/2026

Congratulations, Dr. Bello-Bravo on your next publication!

Measuring the impact of education is never straightforward. A farmer who learns a better grain storage technique from an instructional video might increase her income by 19 percent. However, for organizations investing in global-scale agricultural learning, showing returns in a funding report has lo...

05/28/2026

Over the years has collaborated with My CAERT by CEC to offer resources to our student teachers through the Preservice Teacher Grant. They chose to highlight one of our Spring 2026 student teachers, Lucas Lyons, in one of their recent posts. We appreciate the support of industry in helping our Ag Education graduates be the best prepared that they can be!

05/27/2026

05/27/2026

This summer, ASEC students are involved in lots of different internship opportunities. Two of our students are interns with the Indiana FFA Organization, Conner Keeslar, and Ethan Wolheter. These students will play an essential role in bringing state FFA opportunities to reality for the approximately 14,000 members across the state of Indiana. We look forward to seeing how Conner and Ethan's impact spreads beyond the walls of Purdue!

Purdue Agriculture College of Education, Purdue University IAAE-Purdue

Meet our interns!
The Indiana FFA Association is excited to welcome and grow alongside our 2026 interns: Conner Keeslar, Lauryn Merritt, and Ethan Wolheter.

From behind-the-scenes work at the Indiana FFA State Convention to supporting events at the Indiana State Fair and everything in between, these interns will play a vital role in bringing our experiences to life.

Congratulations to all three of you—we can’t wait to see the impact you’ll make this year!

05/21/2026

At the final business session of the AAAE conference, Purdue was recognized with several awards! Congratulations to all of our ASEC department members who were recognized for their excellence this year:

🏆👩🏽‍🎓 Outstanding Thesis Award: Alejandra Prada Jamarillo, ‘25 M.S. Agricultural Sciences Education and Communication. The title of her thesis is “High School Students Healthy Eating Behavior Predicted by Their Motivation to Participate in Urban Gardening Activities.”

🏆🔟 Top Ten Research Poster: Hema Lingireddy, ASEC PhD Candidate, and Dr. Rama Radhakrishna, Professor of Agricultural Sciences Education and Communication. Poster Title: “Examining Differences in Perceived Importance and Training Needs of Stakeholder Groups Involved in Controlled Environment Education.”

🏅👨🏼‍🏫 Emeritus Membership: Dr. B. Allen Talbert, Professor of Agricultural Education, retiring June 2026.

🏅👩🏻‍🏫 AAAE Leadership Academy, Cohort III: Dr. Sarah E. LaRose, Associate Professor of Agricultural Education.

🏅👨🏻‍⚖️ AAAE Fellows Committee Chair: Dr. Neil Knobloch, Professor of Agricultural Sciences Education and Communication.

🏆👨🏻‍🏫 AAAE Outstanding Teaching Award: Dr. Neil Knobloch, Professor of Agricultural Sciences Education and Communication.

Thank you for representing our department with such excellence!