Lyle and Karma Orwigs’ Support Provides ‘An Invaluable Trip’
Hannah Gordon, an agriculture teacher at the North Carolina School for the Deaf, embarked on an overseas experience made possible by the Lyle E. Orwig International Travel Grant for Agriculture Educators.
Lyle Orwig didn’t know how much the National FFA Work Experience Abroad (WEA) program would impact his future as the 18-year-old Illinois FFA member flew to Europe along with 13 other FFA members from across the U.S. Upon arrival, Orwig’s summer assignment involved helping with all manner of chores on a large dairy farm in England, followed in midsummer by a 10-day tour with the other 13 through Amsterdam, Germany, Sweden and Denmark.
“The trip taught me how important agriculture was to all countries, and while different practices were used, farming is farming worldwide,” Orwig said. “We can learn from each other across the world as well as across states.”
Orwig’s time in FFA contributed to his 40-plus-year career in agricultural communications. Never forgetting that experience, he and his wife, Karma, have supported the organization for many years.
During the summer of 2025, more than 50 years after Orwig’s WEA journey, Hannah Gordon, an agriculture teacher at the North Carolina School for the Deaf (NCFD), embarked on an overseas experience of her own, made possible by the Lyle E. Orwig International Travel Grant for Agriculture Educators, funded by the Orwigs.
After her first year of teaching, Gordon came across the grant opportunity through the National FFA Organization. Gordon was seeking assistance to enhance her agriculture program at NCFD, which is focused primarily on horticulture and animal science.
Coincidentally, she found herself traveling to two places Orwig had visited on his international FFA trip in the 1970s: Denmark and Sweden. She rounded out her Scandinavian tour by spending time in Norway.
Gordon said the grant allowed her to witness the diversity of agriculture in other parts of the world. From experiencing urban agriculture and farm-to-table operations in Denmark to sustainable fish farms in Norway, she came home eager to share her knowledge with her students.
“Experiencing agriculture, horticulture, aquaculture, food systems, and cultural practices across Scandinavia deepened my understanding of how agriculture connects globally to sustainability, innovation, and community,” Gordon said.
“This was an invaluable trip, and I will share these experiences with my students for many years to come,” she added.
She’s now applying all she learned in the classroom, fulfilling the Orwigs’ vision for their gift.
Their goal is to ensure that agriculture teachers can travel internationally to “encourage students to think beyond their communities, states and country to better understand world agriculture.”
Gordon is incredibly grateful for the grant. “Just the fact that FFA has something like this for educators and donors who are willing to provide financial support to make it possible is awesome.”
