Blair Gerlach

Blair Gerlach lives in Springbrook, Iowa, and grew up in Bloomfield. She has taught at Bellevue Community School District since August 2021. She previously taught at Calamus-Wheatland Community School District from 2019 to June 2021.

Her background includes an associate degree at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, a bachelor of science in agriculture and education from Iowa State University in Ames and a master of science in education from Northwest Missouri State University.  Blair become an ag teacher because of the experiences she  was given in high school that helped her  find her  passion for agriculture.

She  believes  in the importance of agriculture and that there is a need for students to understand where their food comes from. Her goal is to educate students about the agricultural processes that sustain our society and encourage them to appreciate the hard work that goes into producing the food they consume daily.

Through her teaching, she aims to provide students with opportunities to explore various areas of agriculture, from crop production to agriculture communication, whether that be in farming, agribusiness, conservation or even food science.

Blair’s  father played a crucial role in nurturing her  passion for agriculture as I grew up on a family farm. He instilled in her  the importance of a strong work ethic, which she aspires  to pass on to the youth she teaches.

Three key traits that Blair believes  can benefit any student interested in agriculture are curiosity, adaptability and a strong work ethic.

Blair  encourages her  students to explore real-life examples of what people are doing today in agriculture.

Through guest speakers, community-engaging projects and hands-on experiences, students can discover the value in every aspect  of agriculture and understand how it impacts their lives .  Colleges and universities are offering students a new and engaging curriculum that aligns with varying industry standards, so Blair would say yes.

There are financial issues that can stop students from pursuing a degree in an agriculture program but there seems to be a significant amount of financial aid available for those students who are willing to put in the effort to obtain it.