For Katie McWhirter, the old adage “once a teacher, always a teacher” rings true.
As a high school senior, McWhirter completed an independent study course with her agriculture instructor and FFA advisor. In that role, she was required to help teach the freshman-level agriculture class.
To her surprise, she fell in love with teaching, and she never looked back.
“That experience is what led me to become an ag teacher,” says McWhirter, who was a member of Washington High School FFA in Washington, Iowa, and received the American FFA Degree. “I knew I loved agriculture, but I wasn’t sure how I would make my contribution to the industry until I found teaching. I realized I wanted to help young people understand the importance and necessity of ag, especially because I saw the gap between farmers and consumers growing wider. Teaching was a way for me to do my part.”
After earning a bachelor’s degree in agricultural teacher education from Iowa State University (ISU) in 2003, McWhirter became an agriculture educator and FFA advisor for the Columbus Community School District in Columbus Junction, Iowa. She remained in the position for nine years, and during that time, she also earned a master’s degree in agricultural education from ISU.
“Watching kids get outside of their comfort zones and push themselves in new ways was incredibly rewarding,” McWhirter says. “At our school, ag students were required to complete supervised agricultural experience (SAE) projects, and I’ll never forget the joy of seeing students discover new abilities and interests and achieve the goals they set for themselves.”
In 2012, McWhirter transitioned into a new teaching role. She became a precision ag specialist for an independent ag retailer in eastern Iowa. She spent six years in that position, helping customers use data to make smart decisions about their farming operations.
That opportunity led McWhirter to her current position in training and development at Premier Crop Systems, a precision ag data processing and analysis company based in Des Moines, Iowa. She trains and coaches advisors on how to use Premier Crop Systems software to increase their customers’ profitability and help ensure longevity in farmers’ operations. She’s still teaching, still working in the agriculture sector – and still loving it.
“My job combines my three loves: farming, teaching and precision ag,” McWhirter says. “To me, teaching is all about helping people, and there’s no better feeling than knowing the work I’m doing is helping others be successful. The cherry on top? It’s all in the name of agriculture.”
