S01:E07
“Beyond the Blue Jacket: FFA, Service & Growing the Whole Student with Renee’ Martin”
What do chainsaw safety, cricket flour brownies, and a grandmother’s unwavering belief in her grandson’s potential all have in common? They’re all part of the extraordinary world of FFA — and in this episode, Renee’ Martin brings that world to life with warmth, wisdom, and a heart as big as the program itself.
Join host Dr. Ping Yu and guest Renee’ Martin — former agriculture teacher, current PhD candidate, and lifelong FFA advocate — as they explore how agricultural education shapes not just careers, but whole human beings. From Renee’s roots in rural Southeast Georgia to her groundbreaking work in agricultural wellness and student mental health, this conversation reveals why FFA is so much more than blue jackets and livestock shows. It’s about service, community, critical thinking, and the kind of mentorship that can change the course of a life.
Whether you’re a grower curious about the next generation entering your industry, a teacher looking for encouragement, a student wondering what path to take, or a plant lover who wants to understand how the people behind horticulture are shaped — this episode has something powerful waiting for you.
Listen Time: ~51 minutes
Renee’ grew up in Waycross, a small town in Southeast Georgia, where her grandfather’s garden first planted the seeds of agricultural curiosity. She attended the Ware County School of Agricultural, Forestry and Environmental Sciences — a K-12 magnet school where students progressed from elementary introductions through advanced greenhouse management, animal showing, forestry, and even prescribed burning by high school. That pipeline of deepening experiences, combined with FFA, set the course for her career.
FFA — originally Future Farmers of America, now the National FFA Organization (renamed in the 1980s to reflect a broadened mission) — is built on a three-circle model: classroom instruction, Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAEs), and FFA activities. Renee’ explains a critical distinction: FFA is intracurricular, not extracurricular — it’s woven directly into the curriculum standards, not tacked on. The program is available in middle school and high school, and Georgia is pioneering programs at the elementary level. The goal isn’t to make every student a farmer; it’s to develop agricultural advocates and leaders who understand where their food, fiber, and natural resources come from.
Renee’ shares the FFA mission — to make a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth, and career success through agriculture education — and the motto that students truly live out: “Learning to do, doing to learn, earning to live, and living to serve.” She describes how the motto maps onto the student experience: learn the basics, put them into action, build career skills, and ultimately give back to your community.
FFA teaches both technical skills (greenhouse management, animal science, small engine maintenance, chainsaw operation, generator safety) and the soft skills that employers consistently rank highest: communication, collaboration, time management, leadership, and simply showing up on time. But the conversation really lights up around service. From Hurricane Katrina in 2005 — when FFA chapters across the country raised money and shipped supplies — to Hurricane Helene in 2024, when students taught community members how to safely operate chainsaws and generators, FFA cultivates a deep heart of giving back. Ping shares her own experience calling South Georgia growers during Helene and witnessing the agricultural community rally around each other.
Supervised Agricultural Experiences are the bridge between classroom learning and the real working world. Renee’ shares the story of visiting a student’s SAE project on Sapelo Island — accessible only by ferry — at age 22, and describes a student who began an SAE at a veterinary clinic cleaning cages, progressed to assisting with procedures, and eventually became a paid intern over three years. SAEs represent a community investment in the future workforce, connecting students with mentors and industry partners in authentic settings.
In one of the episode’s most moving moments, Renee’ shares the story of “Baby Michael” — a student she taught at Ware County who was being raised by his grandmother. His grandmother believed deeply in FFA, always having his official dress ready on a moment’s notice. When she passed away during his early college years, Michael folded into Renee’ and her husband’s family — becoming, in every sense, their son. Today, Baby Michael is an agriculture teacher himself and a program specialist at FFA Camp Covington. Renee’ also shares how multiple middle school students who competed in agriscience fairs through her program have become Foundation Scholars at UGA, conducting their own research.
After a decade of classroom teaching, Renee’ transitioned to Okefenokee RESA as a school climate specialist, working across nine districts in Southeast Georgia on wraparound services — ensuring students have food, water, shelter, and clothing. This work exposed gaps in how pre-service teachers are prepared to handle student mental health, behavior management, and relationship building. Her PhD research now focuses on how agriculture teachers — who often see the same students from 6th through 12th grade — are uniquely positioned to recognize student needs, create safe classroom spaces, and support the whole child in ways other subject teachers often can’t.
Renee’ offers grounded, generous wisdom for teachers just starting out: avoid comparing your first year to an established program that took decades to build. Pick your core focus areas in year one and add gradually. Give yourself grace. Give your students grace. And her signature advice? “Don’t die on the hill of the pencil” — if a kid needs a pencil, just give them the pencil. Don’t take student behavior personally; they may be carrying something from outside your classroom. Build relationships from day one rather than waiting. And rethink grading — meaningful projects over busy work, always.
Today’s students face pressures previous generations didn’t. Social media creates constant comparison culture and a stream of world stressors that Renee’ describes as “the news six inches from your face at all times on a personalized screen.” Teachers feel it too — the pressure to make elaborate social media content for plant sales, greenhouse tours, and program promotion. Renee’s message is clear: what you see on social media doesn’t have to be your reality, and it probably took 47 takes to get that cute dance video. Follow your own path.
Agricultural careers have expanded far beyond traditional farming. Renee’ points to paths in agricultural communications, LED lighting research, marine biology, and government leadership — including a friend who holds a high-level position with the Tennessee Department of Agriculture through an agricultural communications degree. The key she teaches students: “What skills do I have? What do I like? How do I merge them?” Jobs are constantly evolving (the shift from HPS to LED lighting alone revolutionized an entire sector), and the students who learn to adapt and think critically will thrive.
The agriscience fair teaches students to tackle actual problems — not hypothetical ones. Renee’ highlights a project where students made cricket flour brownies to address protein deficiency and climate change simultaneously, learning the what, why, and how of genuine problem-solving. With climate change visibly altering landscapes and the whole food system growing more complex (feed and grain to cattle to marketing to grocery to plate), critical thinking isn’t optional — it’s essential.
AI is here, and the agricultural education community is navigating it head-on. Renee’ describes teaching students (and colleagues) to build a knowledge base so they can recognize when AI generates impossible information — like a plant “five times the size of a building.” She notes the emergence of agriculture-specific AI tools like Breeze ETA alongside general platforms like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini. Her advice: “Use AI for organization, not creation” — it will make up citations and invent facts. The goal is teaching students to verify, think critically, and use AI as a tool to master rather than a crutch to rely on.
Renee’ is graduating in May 2026 and has a full slate ahead: conference presentations in Costa Rica, Cuba, and Kentucky, plus growing work with the Georgia Agricultural Wellness Alliance. She’s teaching Youth Mental Health First Aid and QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) suicide prevention training, addressing high suicide rates in certain agricultural communities. Her work extends to post-Hurricane Helene support for growers who lost infrastructure (including chicken house collapses in Coffee County), AgrAbility programs for injured farmers, and creating accessible mental health materials in multiple languages for the diverse workforce on Georgia farms. Her vision: open-access support that reaches everyone, not just limited groups.
Renee’s parting words are beautifully simple: “Just do it.” Join FFA, try other Career Technical Student Organizations, get experiences outside the four walls of your school. She hopes listeners see how deeply agricultural education and FFA support the whole student — the exact thing every educator is being asked to do. It’s never too late to start: whether you’re in high school, college (Collegiate FFA), or just curious about horticulture (UGA Hort Club, anyone?). Build your collaborative nature and connect with the field.
“The FFA mission is to make a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth, and career success through agriculture education.” — Renee’ Martin
“Learning to do, doing to learn, earning to live, and living to serve.” — FFA Motto, shared by Renee’ Martin
“Don’t die on the hill of the pencil. Give them the pencil.” — Renee’ Martin
“The news is six inches from your face at all times on a personalized screen.” — Renee’ Martin
“Use AI for organization, not creation, because it will create random things.” — Renee’ Martin
“What ag teachers do every single day is exactly what we want all teachers to do.” — Renee’ Martin
What is FFA? The National FFA Organization (formerly Future Farmers of America, renamed in the 1980s) is a youth organization that develops students’ potential for leadership, personal growth, and career success through agricultural education. It operates through a three-circle model: classroom/laboratory instruction, Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAEs), and FFA organizational activities. FFA is intracurricular — built into the agriculture curriculum, not added as an afterthought.
What are SAEs? Supervised Agricultural Experiences are real-world work and learning opportunities in agriculture, supervised by community members, employers, or agriculture teachers. They range from veterinary clinic internships to on-farm production projects, giving students hands-on industry experience while building professional skills and community connections.
What are CTSOs? Career Technical Student Organizations are co-curricular student groups aligned with Career, Technical, and Agricultural Education (CTAE). FFA is one of several CTSOs; others include FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America), HOSA (Health Occupations Students of America), and SkillsUSA, among others.
QPR Suicide Prevention Training QPR stands for Question, Persuade, Refer — a widely used evidence-based training that teaches individuals to recognize warning signs of suicide and connect people to help, similar to how CPR training prepares bystanders to respond to cardiac emergencies.
What is Okefenokee RESA? A Regional Educational Service Agency serving nine school districts in Southeast Georgia, providing shared resources, professional development, and specialized support services including school climate and wraparound services for students.
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Blooms and Beyond is a podcast that covers plant history, culture, and management through the lens of science. Whether you’re a commercial grower looking for management solutions, a student exploring horticulture careers, or someone who just loves plants and their stories, you’ll find something here for you. Hosted by Dr. Ping Yu from the University of Georgia, each episode features interviews with experts who bring enchanting stories, pioneering research, and practical wisdom from the world of horticulture.
Your Takeaway: When you walk away from each episode, commercial professionals should have at least one piece of advice to help with production, and plant enthusiasts should have one cool fact to share about plants. Because that’s how we spread plant power to a larger audience and make the environment a little bit better.
Host: Dr. Ping Yu Featured Guest: Renee’ Martin, PhD Candidate, UGA ALEC; School Climate Specialist, Okefenokee RESA Producer: Rich Braman, UGA Center for Urban Agriculture
Episode Release Date: February 1st, 2026 Episode Length: 51:32
“Till next time, stay healthy and go plants!” 🌱🌻🌿
