USU Professor Becki Lawver Receives Utah FFA's 2023 Blue and Gold Award

The Utah FFA Association has honored Utah State University Professor Becki Lawver with its 2023 Blue and Gold Award. This prestigious award — named as a nod to FFA’s iconic blue and gold jackets — recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to the Utah FFA Association and agricultural education.

Lawver was selected by her peers and the Utah FFA Association Executive Committee to recognize her 25 years of experience in agricultural education and 13 years in Utah, where she has made significant impacts in the field. Lawver first connected with FFA when she was studying to become a high school agriculture teacher. She now serves as head of USU’s Department of Applied Sciences, Technology and Education.

Agriculture teachers in school and community settings create ways for students and adults to be involved in a broad range of learning experiences in animal science, plant science, biology, entrepreneurship and business, natural resources, horticulture, agricultural systems, technology, and leadership skills.

“I am passionate about agricultural education and the FFA,” Lawver said. “One project I am particularly proud of is the Agricultural Education Leadership Development Event. I created this event in 2016, focused on introducing people to becoming future agriculture teachers. We continue to have an agriculture teacher shortage nationwide and I wanted to give students an opportunity to ‘test the waters’ and connect with students and faculty at USU and see if this might be a career for them.”

Lawver said many students who competed in the Agricultural Education Leadership Development Event by preparing a short lesson and teaching it, later attended USU to major in agricultural education, and are currently high school agriculture teachers.

“I am deeply grateful and honored to be presented with the Utah FFA Blue and Gold Award and to be in a discipline that recognizes the value of agricultural education in providing young people with valuable development opportunities,” Lawver said. “By integrating classroom instruction, participation in FFA, and work-based learning, students explore many career pathways and develop their leadership skills and unique talents.”

Lawver recognizes the potential for students involved in agricultural education to develop solutions for global agriculture, food, fiber and natural resources systems.

“It's this next generation of young people who will be the ones who change the world,” Lawver said. “They need opportunities to learn and lead and we need them all, the innovators, the creatives, the scientists, the optimists, and the agriculturalists, to help us get there.”