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By Kim Gooden, For the Tribune

There are many facets to agriculture, and Pam Koenen’s goal as an Ag instructor and FFA adviser has always been to make sure that her students understand that.

“We know that the production sector of agriculture is shrinking,” Koenen said. “But there are many opportunities and options available to students in the area of agriculture beyond farming. They could go into research, marketing, processing, truck driving, agronomy, soils, livestock nutrition and much more.”

Koenen has been an Ag instructor since 1988, and what began as a one-third time teaching position at Alden-Conger High School in 1991 had grown into a full-time program by 1995 under her tutelage.

In addition, attendance at meetings of the Alden-Conger FFA Chapter grew from three people at the first meeting to as many as 77 members in the chapter at one point.

“I listened to the students and the community and started with what they were interested in,” she explained. “Then we kept adding and growing as the students’ interest and the FFA members’ interest increased.”

In the classroom, Koenen teaches a long list of ag-related subjects including plant and soil science, livestock and nutrition, food science, basic electricity, units on dairy and egg products, careers, horticulture, natural resources science, large, small and advanced animal science, agronomy, employment skills, workplace human relations and others.

Students working toward their associate degree are able to earn 20 credits through Riverland concurrent courses that Koenen teaches.

Some of Koenen’s classes are consumer-driven because she wants her students to understand where their food comes from and what the process is to get it from farm to table. She also wants them to be able to discern what are some of the myths in agriculture and what are the facts.

“They have to do a little research to determine what’s fact and what’s myth,” she said.

As the FFA adviser, Koenen supervises, guides and encourages her students in their participation and involvement in FFA contests, leadership events, state and county fair exhibits, trap shooting, pursuit of state and American degrees, proficiency awards and scholarships, among other things.

Through the years of her teaching career, Koenen has brought agriculture into focus for over 3,000 students. She has also mentored seven student teachers, three of which are now teaching agriculture and one works for the Minnesota Corn and Soybean Growers Association.

Koenen has also been very involved as an agricultural educator on regional, state and national levels, holding several offices.

She served as President of the Minnesota Association of Agricultural Educators (MAAE) and earned the MAAE Outstanding Young Ag Teacher honor in 1996 and Outstanding Teacher honor in 2022.

She is a life member of the National Association of Agricultural Educators (NAAE) and received the NAAE Region III Outstanding Young Ag Teacher honor in 1996.

In 2023, Koenen received the Association for Career and Technical educators (ACTE) Region III Teacher of the Year honor as well as the MN Association for Career and Technical Educators (MnACTE) Teacher of the Year honor.

Koenen was the Alden-Conger Teacher of the Year in 2000 and also received the MN Teacher of Excellence honor that year.

In 2004, Koenen was a member of the inaugural class inducted into the Minnesota FFA Ag Hall of Fame.

All impressive accolades for someone who never wanted to be a teacher.

“I had no intention of teaching,” Koenen recalled. “I wanted to be an Extension educator.”

But an influential FFA adviser at her high school told her to “look at Ag education, it’s a good solid Ag background.”

So she took some Ag classes the next year and later enrolled at the University of Minnesota.

She laughed as she recalled “the professors at the U of MN would tell you that nobody thought I was going to teach.”

“But when I walked into the classroom at Annandale High School for my student teaching, I knew that is exactly what I was supposed to be doing,” Koenen said.

At the time she began her teaching career, female Ag educators were a small minority.

“You could count on one hand the number of female Ag teachers in Minnesota,” Koenen said. “Now it is pretty close to 50/50, with a slight advantage on the female side.”

But proving that she was the best female Ag teacher was never her goal.

“I wasn’t trying to prove that I was the best female Ag teacher,” Koenen said. “I was just trying to prove that I was a good Ag teacher.”

Her resume of leadership positions and honors prove that she has succeeded.

Outside of her teaching career and FFA involvement, Koenen is active in the community as well. She is a member of the Alden Lions Club, teaches Community Education classes, volunteers at the Spring Barrow Show and the March Madness cattle show and judges projects in the Home Activities building at the Freeborn County Fair.

She also enjoys baking, decorating cakes, crocheting and flower gardening in her spare time.

She believes that by doing things she learns a lot that she can take back to her students so they can be more successful.

Koenen has had a very successful career and done a great deal for agriculture, leaving a lasting legacy for others to follow.

Being inducted into the Freeborn County Ag Hall of Fame is another well-deserved honor.