Growing Agricultural Education: 5 Years of FFA Partner Training Days
By Lauren Quinlan
Dr. John Tummons, an associate professor and director of undergraduate studies in the University of Missouri’s Department of Agricultural Leadership, Communication, and Education, has a history of turning challenges into opportunities.
Several years ago, Dr. Tummons was faced with a growing shortage of certified agriculture teachers and FFA advisors in Missouri, as well as a need to provide his students with real-world classroom experiences prior to their semesters spent student teaching. Dr. Tummons connected with Agriculture Education on the Move™ (Ag Moves) Program Director Heather Fletcher, who shared an interest in expanding Ag Moves’ efforts by engaging more Missouri FFA members and advisors who could deliver the curriculum in their communities.
The two decided a partnership was a natural fit. Together, they began laying the groundwork for an annual event that became known as FFA Partner Training Days. Their goal was simple, but intentional: equip college students and high school FFA members for success in the classroom by providing a hands-on avenue for personal and professional growth.
“Our thinking was that Mizzou agricultural education students would lead the training day,” Dr. Tummons says. “[These students] would teach participating FFA members all 10 Ag Moves lessons in a single day. We modeled the training day after our CASE4Learning teacher in-service program, where each lesson includes guidance on what to teach and how to teach it.”
The first FFA Partner Training Day was held in the fall of 2021 on the University of Missouri’s campus. Dr. Tummons and Fletcher used what they learned to gradually improve the event and create a model that could be replicated at other colleges and universities. Their hard work paid off—since that first event, Ag Moves also hosted training days at Missouri State University, Northwest Missouri State University, Ozarks Technical College, Southeast Missouri State University, and Three Rivers College.
“The partnership benefits all who are involved,” says Ashlyn Laws, a past Ag Moves summer educator and current agricultural education student who helped lead the 2026 Mizzou FFA Partner Training Day. “It’s great to see all levels of agricultural education come together to achieve a common goal of bringing agricultural literacy to elementary schools across the state.”
Sowing Seeds of Success
Each training day includes an in-depth overview of Ag Moves, in addition to time for FFA members to explore campus and connect with faculty and staff, college students who serve as event facilitators, and Ag Moves team members. Dr. Tummons and Fletcher have seen increased enrollment annually, significant improvement in students’ levels of confidence and preparedness, and improved presentation of the curriculum. The result is a training experience designed not only to prepare FFA members to teach, but also to help them see themselves as educators and leaders.
“A lot of the movements and actions, like showing the ‘pods’ of the soybeans, went over really well with the kids,” says Wyatt Sartin, a Walnut Grove FFA member and first-time educator who attended the 2026 Mizzou FFA Partner Training Day. “I think they were more engaged, so I’m going to try to think of something like that for each lesson moving forward.”
Dr. Tummons and Fletcher also note that training days can serve as valuable recruitment tools for their respective programs. Many partnering FFA members who have positive teaching experiences choose to spend their summers interning for Ag Moves and pursue a career in agricultural education—or another agriculture-focused profession—after graduation.
“In each of the past five years, Ag Moves has hired more than 20 agricultural education students from our partnering universities to join our summer team,” Fletcher says. “That experience prepares them well to serve as facilitators for our training days, where they can share what they’ve learned and help equip FFA members to confidently teach in their communities. It’s a full-circle moment when these future teachers use their experiences to develop the next generation of agricultural leaders and educators.”
As there continues to be a need for qualified, passionate agricultural educators, FFA Partner Training Days demonstrate the power of partnership. The five-year collaboration is creating opportunities that reach far beyond a single training day: preparing future educators, strengthening FFA members’ leadership skills, and bringing agricultural literacy to Missouri classrooms across the state.
Get Started
Interested in bringing Ag Moves to your chapter, school, and community? Check out these four steps for becoming an FFA partner educator, then follow Ag Moves on Facebook and Instagram.
2026 Training Days By the Numbers
5 colleges and universities
286 FFA members
56 FFA chapters
58 college facilitators
108 pizzas
658 miles covered