Lamar Vann: Educating the World in Agriculture

By: Claire Hamilton

Lamar Vann was born and raised in Springville, Alabama. He loves his hometown and has always wanted a career that allowed him to continue living there. Although he knew he wanted to pursue a career in agriculture, he did not know what path to go down.

Now an agriscience teacher at Springville High School, Vann was a first-generation college student. First, he attended community college at Sneed State University for two years. After that, he transferred to Auburn University and earned his bachelor's in agriculture science with the intention of agricultural sales.

He said, “I knew I wanted to work in agriculture but didn’t know what I wanted to do with it. I asked God what I should do with my life and a day later my friend randomly brought up that he thought I would be a great ag teacher. That’s how I chose it.”

After two years of learning the basics in horticulture and agriculture at Auburn, he decided to continue his path as an agriscience teacher. Vann went back to Auburn for his master’s in education and graduated in 2001. He said that he “stuck out like a sore thumb,” explaining that he was one of few students in the College of Education that had a background or planned to continue a career involving agriculture.

The June that followed Vann’s graduation he explained that he “applied for a teaching job close to home and was lucky enough to be chosen for it.” He began working the following August. After working in his home county of St. Clair since the start of his career, Lamar Vann says “I landed a job where I grew up- Springville, Alabama.”

He says, “I teach it all.” As one of five agriscience teachers in his county and the only agriscience teacher at Springville High School, Vann explains that he teaches “fish and wildlife, intermediate agriscience, advanced agriscience and horticulture.”

Vann further explained his love and involvement in Springville High School. He said, “he was in the Future Farmers of America, or FFA, from 1991 to when he graduated in 1995.” He continues this club at Springville with his students. He says that they “compete in competitions such as livestock judging, forestry and tractor/small engine mechanics.”

His passion for teaching agriculture does not stop there though. Vann says within the past few years, he has done many projects with his students. These include raising calves and chickens to provide his students with a hands-on approach to learning about livestock. “It's important for youth to be educated and involved,” explained Vann. His most recent project included his agriculture students raising pigs and FFA members showing those pigs.

He continued by explaining that “new options for FFA competition have been created, like career development and leadership development,” which he says, “includes things like public speaking.”

Teaching not only agriculture, but horticulture too, his projects do not stop at livestock. Vann explained that they do “projects in the greenhouse” such as “planting tomatoes.” They also do things like leaf collections in the horticulture class.

Vann also said that FFA members participate in “service projects like farm day for the kids that attend Springville Elementary School,” and they host “ornament painting at the senior center during Christmas time.” He explains that “it's important for the FFA to be involved in the community while also learning about agriculture.”

“I realize that not many of my students are or will become top-tier farmers, but each of them is a consumer of agriculture in some way or another,” says Vann. “It's important that consumers are educated so they can understand what they're buying.”

When he is not instructing students, however, Vann still finds himself involved in agriculture. He explains that he “raises and sells cattle and hay at home” himself along with “his wife of 13 years, mother and sister own a family farm that sits on about 450 acres all together”

Being an ag teacher, Vann has time to participate in his own family farm and spend time with his family.

Vann teaches with the intention of leaving an impact on each of his students. He says, “My goal is to leave each of my students with at least one thing about agriculture that they didn’t know before stepping into my classroom.”