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Courtade grateful for community backing

Michigan Farm Bureau’s Ag Educator of the Year winner says agricultural education needs the support of a community.

Katie Courtade is the agriscience and natural resources teacher for the newly formed Mecosta-Osceola Career Center’s program.

“If I need something, they’re there to help me—that’s something that every ag educator wants,” she shares. “They want that community support, and a program like this can’t be built on just the instructor. It takes the students, the parents, the community, the administration, the advisory committee.”

She tells Brownfield, “In the ag industry, there are so many opportunities and there are so many people looking for help that I always tell my students, if you need a job, you can find it in this industry.”

In the past two years, the program has grown to include a livestock barn, a greenhouse, and a 10-acre apple orchard for hands-on instruction.

Courtade has spent more than 25 years supporting ag education through FFA and 4-H.

Photo courtesy of the Mecosta-Osceola Career Center.