Arizona FFA Foundation Awards AATA Grant

The Arizona FFA Foundation was honored to present the Arizona Agriculture Teachers Association (AATA) a check for $72,885 during the recent AATA Conference on July 13, 2024.

Through the generous donors, funds raised through the Blue & Gold Gala and Bustin' Clay for FFA, the Foundation is able to help support AATA.

The programs the Foundation supports for AATA include:

• Awards Program
• Professional Development
• Agriculture Education Evaluation Program
• Annual Conference Dinner
• Fall Conference Dinner
• New Teacher Development Program

Agriculture educators play a significant role in supporting the students which provides a long-term affect for our youth. The agriculture teachers teach youth to become strong leaders, help them choose a path they are interested in pursuing for their future, teach them skills they can utilize their entire life and expand their knowledge. It is imporant to support the agriculture educators that provide the incredible programs across Arizona.

Congratulations to the 2024 AATA Award Honorees

• First Year Ag Teacher of the Year - Carrie Zambrano, Chino Valley
• Outstanding Early Career Teacher - Sarah McNall, Cienega
• Teacher Turn the Key Recognition - Ellie Rollins, Dobson
• Outstanding Single Teacher Program - Jennifer Cervantes, Red Mountain
• Outstanding Multi-Teacher Program - Ken Johnson, Casey Farnsnworth and Kori Dorsey - Gilbert
• Outstanding Post Secondary - Dr. Robert Torres, Agriculture Education, Technology & Innovation Department at the Univeristy of Arizona
• Outstanding Cooperation - Dennis Bushong
• Teacher Mentor - Aleah Shook, Queen Creek
• Advocacy Award - Rochell Planty, Arizona FFA Foundation
• Muchas Gracias Award - Quintin Molina
• AATA Ideas Unlimited - Ellie Robinson, Dobson
• AATA Leadership Award - Melissa Veo, Buckeye
• Administrator of the Year - Brody McGuire, AAEC Estrella Mountain
• Outstanding Teacher of the Year - Davida Noble, Elfrida

Region Teacher of the Year:

• Black Canyon Region - Carrie Zambrano, Chino Valley
• Estrella Region - Kerilyn Brothers, Canyon View
• Gila Southern Region - Davida Noble, Elfrida
• Northern Region - Logan Forbis, Snowflake
• San Tan Region - Logan Bethay, Mesquite
• South Central Region - Caitlyn Reynolds, Flowing Wells
• Superstition Region - Jimmy Crosby, Miami
• Yuma Region - McKenna Good, Yuma

FFA Program Support Opportunities

Ready to be a part of making a difference?

Join the the Foundation as a sponsor for the 2024-2025 academic year! Whether you're a business or an individual, there's a perfect sponsorship level to match your budget and passion. Your support helps us build stronger students and develop leaders.

Last month we shared the list of expanded proficiency awards that will be offered this academic year. Below you will find a list of the Career Development Events available for sponsorship and other program opportunities to support FFA. Let's create positive change together! For more details about the specific programs, please email Foundation@azffafoundation.org.

Career Development Events

• Ag Business Co-Sponsor - $575
• Agriscience Fair Awards - $2,300
• Aquaculture - $1,150
• Food Science and Technology - $2,300
• Forestry - $2,300
• Meat Evaluation Co-Sponsor - $1,300
• Poultry - $2,300
• Range Management - $575

FFA Program Support

• National FFA Convention - $1,500
• Pinnacle Conference Polos - $1,750
• State FFA Camp (4 available)- $5,000
• State FFA Camp T-Shirts - $5175
• State FFA Camp Water Bottles - $700
• State FFA Camp Yuma Bus (7 available) - $1,000
• Regional Awards (8 available) - $1,150
• Chapter Banquet Supplies - $1,150
• Chapter Travel Grants (5 available) - $1,150
• SAE for ALL Program Roll Out - $8,625
• Scholarships (unlimited) - $1,150
• Summit Conference (6 available) - $2,000
• Spring Conference ( 2 available) - $3,000

Don't delay and grab your tickets to the event of the year! We have already sold more than 160 tickets for the 9th annual Blue & Gold Gala.This event be held Saturday, February 1, 2025, at the Renaissance Phoenix Glendale Hotel & Spa. We are grateful to Arizona Farm Bureau and Farm Bureau Financial Serivices for their continued support as the title sponsor for the "Biggest Night in Arizona Agriculture". This event will bring together more than 750 attendees to celebrate and support agriculture education and the FFA. The night will be filled with music, an amazing silent auction, fantastic live auction, and much more!

Now is a great time to plan a night out. Pick up a few tickets or gather some friends, family and colleagues, to secure a table sponsorship for the premier social event of the year! Since launching the registration, we have already sold more than 160 tickets, so don't delay! This event historically sells out!

We have the incredible past Arizona State FFA President and fellow friend of the agriculture industry, Mrs. Anna Aja returning as our auctioneer. We are thrilled to announce that Janette Barnard, Past National FFA Western Region Vice President from Arizona will serve as the emcee this year!

This is a great event to support and showcase your commitment to agriculture education in Arizona by becoming a sponsor. We have many sponsorship opportunities available between $500 - $15,000. Sponsorship opportunities are available by clicking the link below.

Our silent auction is one of the highlights of the evening, with a vast array of unique and desirable items, generously donated by businesses and individuals. We are seeking donations for our silent auction. Ideas may include: goods, services, experiences and gift certificates, that will captivate attendees and make our silent auction a resounding success. If you are interested in donating, you may click the link on the event site to submit your donation. Donations must be submitted by November 1, 2024.

Accommodations are available at the Renaissance Phoenix Glendale Hotel & Spa, but are limited. The deadline to book your room is December 27, 2024, however we have sold out early in prior years, so do not wait to make your reservation. Rooms can be booked through this link, Hotel Reservations. If you have any challenges booking a room, please contact us.

We sincerely appreciate the continued support and dedication to the Blue & Gold Gala and the Arizona FFA Foundation as it has made significant impacts to a variety of programs for youth in agriculture and agriculture educators.

Register today to secure your seats through the link below. If you have any questions, please contact at Foundation@azffafoundation.org.

State Star in Agribusiness Awarded

Brandon Price of the Duncan FFA Chapter is the 2024 State Star in Agribusiness winner! He has diligently worked on starting a business in the fence building market.

Brandon describes his business, “I started a business that deals in building fence and dealing fence supplies. I hire fellow high school students and some adults in the area to assist me in building fence, cutting fence stays and dealing fence supplies like barbed-wire, railroad ties, fence stays and other assorted lumber. I handle all aspects of the business including advertising, marketing, hiring, payment distribution, quoting, labor, invoicing, delivery, client contact, employee contact, contract design, and purchasing equipment.

I have organized the company to build a variety of fence including 3-strand barbed wire, 4-strand barbed wire, 5-strand barbed wire, 6-strand barbed wire, 5 foot field fence, 4 foot field fence, 6 foot climb free, steel pipe fence, steel pipe/wire hybrid, wood corral fence, wood accent fence, wood privacy fence, conventional water-gaps, polythene water gaps and I also offer repair to any of these kinds of fences. I also organized this company to cut wood fence stays. I targeted invasive and destructive species of trees like Tamarisk or Coyote Willows to cut 4,5,6 feet sticks (stays) out of, which I then sell these stays to local farmers and ranchers to be utilized into livestock fences. I hire many different people to help me cut them. I do the work of finding locations to cut them out of and receive permission from landowners if they are on private property. I also do the labor of finding clients and then I negotiate a deal and then deliver them to the buyers or subcontract to them.”

Click here to read the full blog!

Star in Agriculture Production Awarded

Taytum Stuhr of Buckeye FFA Chapter is the 2024 State Star Farmer in Agricultural Production! She was awarded this incredible honor at the State Leadership Conference in June.

Taytum describes her Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) that won her this award. “I am the owner of Dendora Valley Cattle Company, which is where I raise beef cattle to process and sell through my website directly to the consumer. This project began in the month of October 2020 with A Tumbling T Ranches gifting me 12 open head of cattle to raise, take care of and breed. I also personally purchased 9 retired show cattle to add to my herd in October 2020. Over the next few months, we built new pens and branded and tagged the cattle. Over the course of 2021, I was taking care of the cattle, feeding them with purchased feed, as well as feed from our Arizona Game and Fish Field which cannot be sold.

I also helped vaccinate them and continued to make improvements in their pens and pasture. In April of 2021, all 21 heifers were introduced to bulls to begin breeding. A few months later we did a pregnancy check with the veterinarian and confirmed that 20 were pregnant. In January of 2022, they started calving, with only one loss. The calves have since stayed with the moms after being vaccinated and tagged. In April of 2022, we bred them again, this time 17 getting pregnant. Unfortunately, we live in the desert and lost six calves during a few weeks’ time due to mountain lions. In October of 2022, I sold my first steer to be processed. In January of 2023, we had 17 new calves. I started a website for my beef which launched in 2023 and have since sold four more steers. Now that the steers are reaching processing age, I am excited to expand my business, while implementing a virtual fence.”

Click here to read the full blog!

Endowments in Development

Each year many FFA scholarships are awarded to students through the endowments set up with the Arizona FFA Foundation. Currently there are four endowments that are still in development to reach the intended goals set for each one.

We invite you to visit our Seeds for Tomorrow area of the website to learn more about each of these individuals and consider making a donation in their memory, towards their endowment, to help us reach the goal to provide a scholarship.

• Lyle Wright - Goal to establish an endowment
• Miley Gonzalez - Goal to establish an endowment
• Dr. Glen Miller - Goal to reach the next level to increase the scholarship
• Kevin Rogers - Goal to reach the next level to increase the scholarship

If you are interested in establishing an endowment or exploring how endowments are established, please reach out. We would be honored to visit with you and share the many options available for program and scholarship endowments to support FFA and our agriculture educators.

Support Arizona FFA with each order through Walmart.com or the Walmart app, by making the Arizona FFA Foundation your preferred charity, when signed into your account. Then just check the "round up" box with each order at checkout.

The Foundation is an approved charity for the Fry's Community Rewards Program. If you do not already have a charity tied to your rewards card, or do not have a rewards card set up, it is easy to establish.

Visit https://www.frysfood.com. Once logged into your Fry's account, you can search for The Arizona Agricultural Education FFA Foundation, either by name or RS160, and then click enroll. New users will need to create an account, which requires some basic information, a valid email address, and a rewards card. Each time you shop using your Fry's Rewards card, after you have attached us as your charity, then we will receive benefits.