(09/20/24) BATON ROUGE, La. — Former high school agriculture teacher and Louisiana FFA executive secretary Cade LeJeune has been appointed the executive director of Louisiana agricultural education and the Louisiana FFA advisor following a nationwide search.

In this role, LeJeune will lead the state’s agricultural education program, overseeing curricula for 214 middle and high school programs and supervising professional development and program compliance for nearly 300 agriscience teachers.

LeJeune is an enthusiastic booster for agricultural education in the state.

“We’re not going to feed 7 or 8 billion people without a thriving agriculture industry,” LeJeune said. “If we’re the only program that exists to teach agriculture every single day in the school system in the state, then that’s an important task.”

LeJeune joined the Louisiana FFA leadership in 2017 after teaching high school agriculture for eight years in Springfield and Baton Rouge. Raised in Mermentau in Acadia Parish, LeJeune joined FFA while at Midland High School and became a state officer. He then attended LSU and earned a degree in human resource education.

In his time as executive secretary, LeJeune has worked to grow the organization and build his own leadership abilities, said Toby Lepley, who recently retired as LSU AgCenter associate vice president and state youth development program leader.

“He possesses a high level of leadership qualities that will help him focus on what FFA and the agricultural education program need in Louisiana,” Lepley said. “He has the ability to work across different sectors, including young people, donors and teachers.”

Modern agricultural education classes prepare students for success in college and careers, and teach many practical lessons, LeJeune said, such as how to change the oil in a vehicle, make repairs around the house and grow a garden. Agriculture classes also provide career training in trades such as welding and carpentry, allowing students to earn certifications that assist them in the workforce.

“I think we fill a void that exists in the public school system now,” LeJeune said.

Agricultural education includes three main components: agricultural education in the classroom and the teaching of hands-on skills; leadership development and competition through FFA; and supervised agricultural experience (SAE), during which students take on a project.

While supervised agricultural experiences began as at-home farm projects a century ago, students now are as likely to take on internships or start a small business, LeJeune said. This summer Louisiana FFA rolled out SAE for All, a national initiative that trains teachers to view these independent projects in a modern way.

Suburban parishes now have the largest FFA programs in the state, and these students are just as likely to start a lawn care business or find an internship as they are to plant a corn crop.

“These students probably do not have access to a farm, and they will probably never set foot in a production agriculture setting, but what we teach is still very valuable, and they still need an SAE,” LeJeune said.

Since 2017, LeJeune has presided over a nearly 35% growth in membership. Louisiana FFA now has more than 13,000 members, but that accounts for only half of the students enrolled in agriculture education courses statewide.

A top objective for LeJeune is to fully fund FFA membership for each student enrolled in agriculture education through a membership affiliation program so all students can access the leadership training and scholarship opportunities the organization provides. He plans to work with the AgCenter and the Louisiana FFA Foundation to find permanent funding for FFA membership.

“I don’t want financial barriers to be what prevents a student from becoming an FFA member and having opportunities within the organization,” he said.

In addition to his leadership role in Louisiana, LeJeune also serves as the Southern Region vice president for the National Association of Supervisors of Agricultural Education and as a member of the national SAE for All committee.

Cade LeJeune has been appointed the executive director of Louisiana agricultural education and the Louisiana FFA advisor. Photo by Olivia McClure/LSU AgCenter