Five individuals were honored for their great service to the Kansas FFA on Thursday evening, May 28, at the 87th Annual Kansas FFA State Convention on the Kansas State University campus in Manhattan, Kansas.
The Honorary State FFA Degree
The Honorary State FFA Degree is bestowed upon those who help to advance agricultural education and the FFA, and who have rendered outstanding services to the association. This year’s recipients are Danny Rice; Zach Malcolm; Dr. Terry Houser; and Dr. Kelly Getty.
Danny Rice
Rice currently serves as the President of the Kansas Association of Agricultural Educators. He started teaching agricultural education in 1993 and has spent his entire teaching career at Marais des Cygnes High School. Rice extends his service to his community, committing his time and his positive, service-oriented spirit to community organizations and activities.
Zach Malcolm
Malcolm has served as the Kansas FFA Convention chorus director since 2010. He has served as a football coach and music teacher at Clay Center High School, and will soon begin his service at the Kansas State University College of Arts and Sciences as an academic adviser.
Dr. Terry Houser
Dr. Houser is an associate professor in Animal Sciences and Industry at Kansas State University, with areas of specialization in irradiation, meat processing and meat selection and grading. He is also the coach of Kansas State University’s meat judging team.
Dr. Kelly Getty
Dr. Getty is an associate professor in Animal Sciences and Industry at Kansas State University with areas of specialization in HACCP, meat microbiology, and meat safety and quality. In addition to advising the Food Science Club and Food Science Institute at K-State, she also serves as the state Food Science Career Development Event coordinator consistently working to implement positive changes in the event according to national trends.
The VIP Citation
The VIP Citation is awarded to individuals who have demonstrated a lifetime of service to the Kansas FFA Association.
Dr. Harbstreit has served on faculty at Kansas State University in the area of agricultural education since August of 1987, and currently serves as an associate professor in agricultural education. In addition, he serves on the Kansas FFA Foundation Board of Directors as well as the National Postsecondary Agricultural Student Organization Board of Directors. Before becoming an assistant professor at Kansas State University, he taught vocational agriculture at North Andrew County High School and Northwest Missouri Vocational Technical School for six years. Dr. Harbstreit has been recognized as a Kansas State University College of Agriculture distinguished faculty member, and has received both the Honorary State and American FFA Degrees. He also serves as the Kansas FFA Association Agriscience Fair coordinator and previously served on the National FFA Board of Directors.