Today we have an invited guest columnist. I asked Eric Tilleman, who taught agriculture for 16 years at Cascade High School in Montana to write this column. Take it away Eric.
I never set out to become a politician; I set out to become an agriculture teacher.
I grew up on a farm and ranch in north central Montana, where agriculture wasn’t just an occupation—it was a way of life. My parents instilled in me a deep love for agriculture and an even deeper appreciation for community. Neighbors helped neighbors. Work mattered. And you showed up when people needed you. Those lessons took root early and never left.
By the time I was in high school in Chinook, I already knew I wanted to become an agriculture teacher. I was fortunate to have four outstanding ag teachers who didn’t just teach content, but modeled leadership, service, and commitment. They showed me that agricultural education could change lives—mine included.
When I stepped into my own classroom, I quickly learned that being an ag teacher meant far more than delivering lessons. It meant building programs, mentoring students, advising the FFA chapter, writing grants, fixing equipment, and sometimes being the steady adult a student needed. The classroom extended into shops, greenhouses, students’ barns, and communities—and that’s exactly where learning came alive.
Early in my career, I was selected as one of the first teachers to attend the DELTA Conference hosted by the National FFA Organization. That experience was pivotal. We worked intensively on leadership development, curriculum design, and personal growth, and perhaps most importantly, we built a lifelong cohort of educators who continue to support one another to this day. DELTA showed me the power of investing in teachers—and just how far that investment can reach.
That spark for leadership continued to grow through my involvement with the National Association of Agricultural Educators (NAAE). In 2007, I was selected as a Teacher Turn the Key, an experience that challenged me to think beyond my own classroom and focus on strengthening the profession as a whole. That opportunity fueled my commitment to leadership within the Montana Association of Agricultural Educators, where I served at the state level before stepping into regional leadership as Secretary for Region I.
In 2020, during my year as Vice President, I took on a role I never expected—leaving the classroom to become the Agricultural Education Specialist for the state of Montana at the Office of Public Instruction. At the time, I didn’t realize how much that change would broaden my perspective. Stepping back from a single program allowed me to see the challenges teachers face statewide and strengthened my drive to support them. It reinforced my belief that strong systems matter—and that policy decisions directly affect what happens in classrooms every day.
Those experiences from the farm and ranch to the classroom, to statewide leadership eventually led me to public service. As an agricultural education association, we went to the legislature multiple times and built meaningful relationships with legislators. Eventually, we asked for funding to start new ag education programs and to supplement existing ones. That effort was successful. Building on that momentum, our organization, alongside MACTE members, advocated additional funding to support Career and Technical Student Organizations across the state, which we were able to secure.
That experience ignited my interest in the legislative process and ultimately led me to run for office.
Running for state representative wasn’t about leaving education behind. It was about taking the lessons I learned as an ag teacher and applying them to a larger classroom. Much like teaching, serving in the legislature requires listening, problem-solving, collaboration, and staying grounded in reality. It requires understanding how decisions on paper affect real people—students, teachers, producers, and communities.
I was honored to be selected to serve on the State Administration, Education, and Agriculture Committees. These roles gave me the opportunity to bring my experiences from the classroom and my leadership within NAAE directly into policymaking.
Today, as a state representative, I still see myself as an educator at heart. Whether I’m working on career and technical education, agricultural policy, workforce development, or rural issues, my focus remains the same: preparing the next generation while honoring the values that built Montana.
I’m proud of where this journey began.
Agriculture taught me how to work, teaching taught me how to lead, and both continue to guide my service today.
In many ways, I’m still teaching just in a different classroom.
Curator’s Remarks
Eric, thank you for sharing your story. For the younger agriculture teachers in our profession I encourage you to participate in the types of activities that Eric mentioned. It will make you a better teacher and leader.
Across the country we have many colleagues who started careers as agriculture teachers, but who ended up as extension educators, agribusiness leaders, administrators, college professors, entrepreneurs. legislators and the list goes on. Having a background in agricultural education is valuable no matter where you end up.
Figure 1. Eric during his ag teacher days. Image from the Northern Ag Network website.