FFA salute to Ag Educator Wade Overturf

FFA salute to Ag Educator Wade Overturf

FFA Advisor Wade Overturf, center front, gathered members of the Wisner-Pilger FFA Chapter for a festive holiday scene. (Courtesy photo)
FFA Advisor Wade Overturf, center front, gathered members of the Wisner-Pilger FFA Chapter for a festive holiday scene. (Courtesy photo)

For National FFA Week, February 20-26, we feature alumni of the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture who are agriculture educators and chapter advisors for FFA.

They are among 12 UNSTA or NCTA graduates currently in classrooms and leading the 203 FFA chapters in Nebraska.

We appreciate their commitment and dedication to Nebraska youth and agriculture.

Meet Wade Overturf, native of Sutton

Q:  What year did you graduate from NCTA?

            A:  2014

Q:  What was a highlight from your program and career at NCTA?

            A:  A highlight from the Agriculture Education program at NCTA would be getting to be one of the pioneers to start the Ag Ed program and working with Dr. Doug Smith in its launch and creation. I’ve enjoyed seeing all the students come through the Ag Education program at NCTA.

The biggest highlight of my career at NCTA would be the long-lasting friendships that were made through the rodeo team and on campus.

Q: When did you start teaching?

            A: I started teaching at Wisner-Pilger in 2016.

Q: What are the activities planned for FFA Week?

            A:  Our FFA week is full of activities, many are directed by our FFA officers. They include teacher breakfast, dodgeball tournament, elementary lessons and barnyard, drive your pickup and tractor to school days, and a fundraiser for charity.

Q:  What types of community support exists for the FFA chapter?

            A:  Our community support in Wisner and Pilger is outstanding. The Ag community is extremely supportive to our members as they recognize the need for youth to be involved and connected to agriculture.

 Q:   Any other information to share?

            A: We recently built an addition to the school including a new metals and wood shop, livestock pens, birthing lab and greenhouse. I’m very excited about the learning opportunities these facilities will provide our students. So far, we have farrowed a sow that had 6 pigs and have a bucket calf the animal science class is caring for. We will be calving out a few cows this spring also.

Part of the University of Nebraska system, the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture is a two-year institution with a statewide mission of preparing students for successful careers in agriculture, veterinary technology and related industries. NCTA is known for its affordable tuition, high job-placement rate for its graduates, and for the success of student teams in competitive activities including crops judging, ranch horse events, livestock judging, shotgun sports, stock dog trials, and intercollegiate rodeo. The college is consistently ranked as one of the best two-year schools in the nation.

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