Crystal Aukema, an agriculture teacher at Marathon Central School District. (Photo Source: Kevin L. Smith/The Cortland Voice).
Crystal Aukema has had a passion for agriculture for as long as she can remember.
Her love for agriculture runs deep, so much that she teaches it through a program at Marathon Central School District (MCSD).
Aukema’s dedication to agriculture through the MCSD and the Marathon community led to her recently being a recipient of the Golden Owl Award through New York Future Farmers of America (FFA) and Nationwide. She is also a finalist for the New York State Ag Educator of the Year.
The Golden Owl Award was established to “honor the contributions of teachers and support them with additional resources to assist their continued educational efforts,” according to a news release in regards to the award.
“Agricultural educators serve a critical role in preparing future generations for success,” the release states. “They also devote immeasurable time, and often their own resources, to help students pursue their passions.”
Along with a plaque, Aukema was also presented with a $500 cash prize.
“It’s very humbling because this program (I teach) is for the community,” she added. “I don’t necessarily think it’s an award for me. It’s an award for the community.”
Aukema said “it’s amazing” that she is a finalist for NYS Ag Educator of the Year. She added that “there are some really amazing programs (in the state) for agricultural education.”
“It was surprising,” Aukema said. She added that there are currently 214 ag teachers in the state. “It really shows how much a small town impacts things.”
Currently a resident of Chenango Forks in Chenango County, Aukema was born and raised in Marathon. Her parents, Gary and Cathy, owned a dairy farm and made maple syrup on the side.
Aukema owns a sheep farm in Chenango Forks with her husband, Brian. Their three children, Brycen, Annaleen and Fenton, raised heifers on the farm. The Aukema family also cares for two cows in Truxton, and another cow at a farm in Marathon.
“My husband is very involved in agriculture and agricultural education,” Aukema said. “Between the two of us, (our children) have a love for it too.”
Growing up, Aukema won the dairy princess competition in Broome County and was a first alternate for the contest in Cortland County.
Aukema graduated from Marathon High School in 1999. She then received her associate’s degree in agricultural business at Morrisville State in 2001, before she graduated from Cornell University in 2003 with a bachelor’s degree in animal science.
Her time at Cornell is where she learned that there are opportunities to teach agriculture in the classroom.
“I was floored when I found out this is an opportunity,” she said.
Aukema’s first opportunity to teach agriculture took place at the Broome-Tioga BOCES from 2008 to 2010. She then taught agriculture at Oxford Academy and Central School District for six years (2010 to 2016).
Since the 2016-17 school year, Aukema has been teaching at MCSD. The school district brought its agricultural program back after a hiatus for over 30 years. The revived program, which abruptly discontinued in the early 1980s, also brought back the FFA chapter for the area, Aukema said.
“I really love the educational part of agriculture,” she added. Aukema noted agricultural education “looks at all areas,” including plant, animal, environmental, food and mechanical science. “They’re all part of agriculture.”
“I love all of the pieces of it and being able to show students what it’s all about,” she said. “I really love it when students get it and want to do more with it.”
The biggest takeaway for Aukema’s students was her lesson on raw apples. Aukema noted she had students taste freeze-dried apples, apple sauce, apple butter, dehydrated apples and other apple products to “see how the flavors change and how much a product changes.”
“The students loved that lesson,” she said. “A lot of my students never thought about the processing of food it goes through.”
Aukema noted agriculture is an “area where everyone isn’t going to be a farmer, but everyone is going to be a consumer.”
“We’re very fortunate that people are supportive of each other within the agricultural community,” she said. “I want to make sure they’re aware of the products they’re going to buy, where it comes from and that understanding.”
The biggest step to continue the support of the agricultural community is “to encourage students to take part in agriculture,” Aukema said.
“I want these students to know how agriculture works and with producers in the industry as a whole,” she added. “I want students to walk away from this program knowing they can ask these questions and be provided with answers.”
