You Have to Start Somewhere!

                              My name is Brooke Ostrander and I am a future agriculture teacher!

 

I did not grow up on a farm. My agriculture passion started when I was very young and insisted on every day walks with my aunt down the dirt road or splashing down the creek to the neighbors family farm. And my love for the stinky smell of manure and slobbery cow kisses grew from there! At eight years old, a family friend asked if I wanted to show a cow and become a 4-H member in her club. In my mom’s hopes to get me out of my shell and be more social she eagerly said yes I could and my passion ignited that winter in the chilly barn. That one little brown cow led me into 4-H for many years leading me to meeting my best friends and one who then forced me into FFA my freshmen year of high school and eventually running for county dairy princess. Both of these experiences opened my eyes to a few things. First, I realized that I could talk for hours to pretty much anyone when it comes to agriculture! Funny how that shy little girl eventually realized she had something she could not resist talking about! And second, so many people, kids to adults, do not have the knowledge or connection to grow their agriculture smarts that I had the privilege to gain and learn! It was proved to me through these incredible organizations that overall, it is not that hard to reach out, share and connect to people! After years involved in these organizations and a great FFA advisor of my own, my senior year is when it hit me. I decided I wanted to become an ag teacher! I not only wanted to pass on knowledge of agriculture to younger generations but also give them the opportunities and experiences through these programs that influenced my life so greatly. Looking back, I can’t help but to laugh when I think that I owe so many great memories, opportunities and experiences that led me to my passion and future career on one overly fluffy and extremely sassy little brown cow.