-Farm News photo by Darcy Dougherty Maulsby
Steve Kehoe, left, who is retiring from a 40-year ag education career, continues to work this summer with ag students at Southeast Valley High School in Gowrie. He’s shown here with (left to right) Riley Carlson, 15, sophomore; Aiden Anderson, 16, junior; Grant Farnham, 17, junior; and Ryan Wicklein, 16, junior, who will be competing in the 2023 Iowa Youth Crop Scouting Competition on July 27. Kehoe is helping the students learn the fine points of weed identification.

Early mornings. Late nights. No summer breaks. Classrooms, competitions and many miles in between. It’s a story Steve Kehoe knows well.

While he’s wrapping up a 40-year career in ag education, including decades at Southeast Valley High School, Kehoe isn’t quite finished yet.

“I’ve been too busy trying to help prepare things for the new ag teachers,” said Kehoe, referring to his replacement, as well as the new middle-school ag teacher that Southeast Valley recently hired. “We’re very fortunate to have two ag education teachers in our school district. I’m so happy the administration and board of education understand the value of ag education.”

This local support means a lot to Kehoe, who grew up in the Callender area, graduated from Prairie High School in Gowrie in 1978 and began teaching at Prairie in 1991. Farm News caught up with Kehoe this summer while he was coaching some of his FFA members for an upcoming crop-scouting competition.

Q: What motivated you to become an ag teacher?

A: I was going to major in ag business at Northwest Missouri State University (NWMSU), but my advisor recommended I become an ag educator, since that would give me opportunities for a variety of careers.

Q: What path did your career take?

A: I started my teaching career at Charter Oak-Ute and taught there for three years. Then I taught at West Bend and thoroughly enjoyed my time there. When a job at my high school alma mater opened up, I applied, accepted the position in 1991 and have been here ever since. Back then, the local FFA chapter was down to about 15 members, and it took a lot of work to build the program back up. Also, there were about two girls in the ag program in the early 1990s. Now five of my nine FFA officers are female.

Q: Did you have any mentors or colleagues whose advice helped guide your career?

A: The teachers in the ag education community have an incredibly strong professional network. The Iowa Association of Agricultural Educators (IAAE) has provided services to Iowa ag teachers for more than 50 years. They understand the challenges teachers face and know the amount of time it takes to be successful. I was honored to be elected IAAE president from 2018-2019. This gave me an opportunity to work with ag education teachers across Iowa and give back a little for all that IAAE had provided me the past 40 years. It was a humbling experience.

Q: What are some of the most significant changes you’ve seen in ag education during your teaching career?

A: The biggest challenge for me has been trying to keep up with technology. There was no internet when I started teaching in 1983. I still have an Apple IIe computer with floppy disks.

Q: What have been some of your favorite classes to teach?

A: I enjoy teaching about soils and other natural resources.

Q: What might surprise people about the realities of being an ag teacher?

A: I think people would be surprised by the large amount of time you spend on activities outside of the classroom. During the FFA paperwork and contest season (January through March 1), I’m usually in the classroom working with students and their applications almost seven days a week.

Q: What are the most challenging parts of being an ag teacher?

A: Time management and telling yourself you cannot do everything. In addition to my ag education role, I also coached volleyball for 34 years, plus I farm and raise corn and soybeans.

Q: What’s your advice to a young person just starting his or her teaching career?

A: Take your time, don’t panic, and be patient. You need to stay in the same program for at least three years before moving. It takes time to build a program and rapport with students, colleagues and the community.

Q: Any favorite quotes or words of wisdom that guide your decisions?

A: I’ve always loved Yogi Berra’s quote, “It ain’t over until it’s over.”

Q: What benefits do kids gain by participating in FFA?

A: There are so many benefits. Whether it’s a student being named Star Iowa Farmer or becoming a National FFA proficiency finalist, one of the most rewarding parts of being an ag teacher is seeing students succeed. FFA also broadens students’ horizons. I had the opportunity to take two local students for 28 days on an Iowa FFA-Russian exchange trip. I’ve also enjoyed the opportunity to travel to Honduras, Costa Rica, Russia and Haiti through my connections to the National FFA Organization.

Q: Why is ag education valuable in a school curriculum?

A: Agriculture is Iowa’s and America’s most important asset. We have to have food, fiber and natural resources to survive.

Iowa soybean executive reflects on Kehoe’s influence

Long before he became chief officer of strategy and brand management at the Iowa Soybean Association, Aaron Putze was growing up on a farm near West Bend. Steve Kehoe, who was one of his high school ag teachers, left a lifelong impact.

“Steve was the consummate educator,” said Putze, who is grateful Kehoe was his FFA advisor during his junior and senior years of high school. “He was always teaching, but allowed us to find our paths and do things our way. He was humble and allowed students to lead, while always expecting we’d give our very best.”

Back then, Putze wasn’t considering agriculture as a career, but he did serve as an FFA officer and participated in many career development events. “Little did I know that extemporaneous speaking, parliamentary procedure and conduct of meetings would serve me so well as a communications professional who serves farmers in association work,” Putze said.

Today, careers in agriculture are exploding, from agronomy and data management to ag sales and grain merchandising.

“Ag teachers are on the front lines of introducing young people to the many exciting endeavors related to feed, fuel and fiber production,” Putze said. “Ag teachers have a lifelong impact on people and the ag industry. Steve is an exceptional ag teacher, and he will be missed in the profession.”