In June, I had the opportunity to attend the Montana and Utah Associations of Agricultural Educators’ conferences to introduce the First Green program and its value as a hands-on learning experience for students.

Montana AAE – Kalispell, June 9–10
In Kalispell, I met with a great group of educators to discuss how First Green brings STEAM learning to life through field trips on golf courses. I shared curriculum resources and encouraged teachers to connect with local superintendents to plan future outings. We also coordinated a First Green field trip for the teachers at Buffalo Hill Golf Course, thanks to host superintendent Russ Grover and his team. One teacher told me it was the most informative field trip he’d attended in seven years of teaching — a strong testament to the power of this program.

Utah AAE – St. George, June 11
A couple of days later, in St. George, I gave two sessions on how First Green connects classroom learning with real-world career paths. We focused on how teachers can coordinate with local superintendents and highlighted golf course maintenance as a viable and rewarding career. Five teachers expressed interest in hosting First Green field trips. Since a teacher field trip wasn't feasible at the time, we brought the golf course to them — Ken Yates and Ross Laubscher of Black Desert Golf Resort joined us to share their stories and talk about their commitment to developing the next generation of skilled employees in the turf industry.

These visits reinforced just how impactful partnerships between golf course professionals and agricultural educators can be. I'm excited to see what grows from these seeds we planted in Montana and Utah!