Nominate a volunteer who is leading efforts to grow student agriculture education awareness and understanding of the many ways in which agriculture impacts our lives every day.
Purpose: Recognize outstanding volunteers who champion Wisconsin Agriculture in the Classroom and build agriculture literacy through events, programing, and service in his/her community.
Ideal Nominees/Candidates: A volunteer or volunteer-driven program that serves Wisconsin grades 4K-12 educators, students, and schools in growing awareness, discovery, and knowledge of agriculture literacy.
Application Judging: All applications will be scored by at least three judges, at least two of which will be WFBF staff.
Nomination Criteria:
- Role (5 points): Briefly provide an overview of nominee’s contributions to growing student and educator agriculture literacy. If the nominee is selected, this description may be used for media and press releases.
- Impact (15 points): Impact refers to the depth of the nominee's contribution. How has the nominee identified and addressed an education and agriculture literacy priority in their community? Describe how their contributions have made a lasting difference in the community. Indicate how the nominee has made their work sustainable (in other words, how will the benefits of the nominee's contribution continue when the nominee is no longer involved).
- Reach (15 points): Describe who benefited from the nominee's contributions (for example, educators/students/school districts/programs/ etc.). Indicate how many people were affected and how they were affected. Have the contributions expanded to benefit other people or groups? Have they expanded beyond the nominee's community, locally or nationally?
- Engagement (5 points): Describe how the nominee's contributions sparked teamwork to address educator and/or student agriculture awareness and knowledge. Describe how the nominee engaged others. Did the nominee use outside resources and get other partners involved? (For example, local businesses, volunteer groups, PTAs/PTOs, etc.) If so, how?
- Challenges (5 points): Describe the challenges (personal, social or other) that the nominee has overcome to make a contribution for agriculture literacy in their community.
- Inspiration (5 points): Describe how the nominee became a role model in their community or in their organization. How did the nominee share their experience and knowledge and who did they share it with? (i.e. How is the nominee inspiring new, or the “next generation” of Ag in the Classroom volunteers, educators, and/or programs?)
Award Honors: Agriculture Literacy Leader Award winners will be honored during the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation Annual Meeting on Sunday, December 3, at the Kalahari Resort in Wisconsin Dells. Winners will receive complimentary conference registration, hotel, and meals at the 2022 Wisconsin Farm Bureau Annual Meeting December 3-4, 2022.
Awardees will be formally recognized through press releases, in Wisconsin Ag in the Classroom e-newsletter, on Wisconsin Agriculture in the Classroom website and social media, and WFBF Rural Route member magazine.
Eligibility: Any volunteer or volunteer-driven organization may be nominated for the award. Nominees (individuals or organizations) can be self-nominated or nominated by a third party. All nominees will need the endorsement of their respective County Agriculture in the Classroom Coordinator OR County Farm Bureau President. The endorsement will be sent via email to either the County Agriculture in the Classroom Coordinator or the County Farm Bureau President upon receipt of the nominee’s application.
Due Date: Online applications are due Sunday, October 2, 2022, at 11:59 p.m.
To learn more about Wisconsin Agriculture in the Classroom Agriculture Literacy Leader Award, please contact Beth Schaefer, Wisconsin Agriculture in the Classroom Coordinator, at 608-828-5644, or [email protected].