Montezuma-Cortez High School agriculture education instructors Amanda Ramos and Charlotte Forst attended the Colorado Vocational Agriculture Teachers Association Summer Conference June 24-27. More than 80 agricultural educators from across Colorado attended the annual professional development conference, held this year at the Colorado State University ARDEC (Agriculture Research, Development and Education Center) facility in Fort Collins.
During the conference, instructors participated in a variety of professional-development trainings, including hands-on workshops in ag mechanics and veterinary science. Attendees also were given updates by state and national Team Ag Ed representatives, and conducted business sessions for the CVATA. Russel Ewell of AET, Colorado Ag Education’s Internet-based record keeping system, introduced changes and helped answer questions that instructors had about the new system. Conference attendees toured businesses involved in various segments of the ag industry around Fort Collins. These tours included Busch Ag test plots, dairy farm tours hosted by Western Dairy Association and tours of CSU’s ARDEC animal and crop production facilities.
In addition to educational workshops and meetings, teachers took part in meal functions sponsored by DJ’s Fundraising, Edwards Right Price Market, CEV multimedia and Riverstar Farms.
Attendees were treated to a dinner Tuesday prepared by the Colorado Young Farmers Educational Association hosted at the farm of Bill and Bret Markham and family, of Berthoud.
