Nelson McCracken with his state officer team.
What started as a high school student’s first step into an agriculture classroom several years ago grew into a lifelong passion as an FFA advisor to impact other students with agricultural opportunities.
Getting Started
Nelson McCracken, a former member of Volunteer FFA in Tennessee, lived on a farm and came from generations of farmers. He started his FFA journey as a freshman in high school and immediately found a passion for agriculture. This passion led him to compete in numerous FFA competitions and grow a Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) in diversified livestock.
As a junior, McCracken had already become a Tennessee state officer. He bonded with his officer group, describing them as “adopted family,” and traveled all over the state promoting agriculture.
Throughout high school, McCracken expressed interest in becoming an agriculture educator. After graduating, he attended the University of Tennessee for agricultural education. He said this made him the “first person in my family to ever go to college.”
His Time as an Advisor
McCracken had the opportunity to come to Georgia to become an agriculture teacher. He taught at Lakeview Fort Oglethorpe (LFO), where he specialized in showing livestock, and his team competed nationwide. After 20 years at LFO, he transitioned to Bagley Middle School, where he focused on career and leadership development events.
McCracken performed highly as an advisor, having multiple state officers, various American FFA Degree recipients, and countless nationally ranked teams. His dedication led him to be awarded the Honorary American FFA Degree. Under his direction, Bagley was named Program of the Year by the National Association of Agriculture Educators (NAAE) during his tenure as an advisor.
McCracken served as president of the Georgia Vocational Agriculture Teachers Association. In addition, he serves as vice president of the National Association of Agriculture Educators.
Nelson McCracken at the Georgia FFA-FCCLA Center.
Looking Ahead
After being an advisor for 30 years, McCracken is the camp director of the FFA-FCCLA Center and Camp John Hope in Georgia. He is also the head of human resources in this role and oversees various camp projects. One of the highlights of this opportunity is that he allows any FFA chapter from anywhere in the country to come and use the facilities for leadership training.
Overall, McCracken has had a lifelong passion for growing and developing students for future leadership and agriculture careers. His hard work clearly shows what it means to be an FFA member: Learning to Do, Doing to Learn, Earning to Live, and Living to Serve.
