Matt McKamey Receives Honorary American FFA Degree

Matt Mckamey of Cascade, Montana was selected to receive the Honorary American FFA Degree at the 97th National FFA Convention & Expo in Indianapolis, Oct. 23-26.

This award is given to those who advance agricultural education and FFA through outstanding personal commitment. The National FFA Organization works to enhance the lives of youth through agricultural education. Without the efforts of highly dedicated individuals, thousands of young people would not be able to achieve the success that, in turn, contributes directly to the overall well-being of the nation.

The Honorary American FFA Degree is an opportunity to recognize those who have gone beyond valuable daily contributions to make an extraordinary long-term difference in the lives of students, inspiring confidence in a new generation of agriculturists. Members of the National FFA Organization's board of directors approved the nomination.

MCKAMEY was celebrated during an onstage ceremony on Friday, Oct. 25. All recipients receive a plaque and medal, and their names are permanently recorded as recipients of this exceptional honor.

For over 30 years, Matt has served as the director of Montana's state FFA leasdership camp. In this role, he has specifically made contributions to FFA at the national level by working to bring national officers and past national officers each year to camp to share direct leadership and experience with local members. Additionally, Matt has served as the lead consultant for Montana's state officer selection proces for more than 10 years. Through this, Matt has had a direct hand in identifying and mentoring Montana's delegates to the national level, sourcing Montana's national officer candidate each year resulting in two national officers during his time as lead consultant, and supported hundreds of youth who continued on in FFA to earn the American FFA Degree.

Matt has been recognized by the Agricultural Bankers Conference for his work in ag finance. The ABC is a supporter and partner of the AERO group, NFRBMEA. Matt has received recognition for his work with local and state Farm Bureau, another partner of FFA's. Matt is an honoree of the Montana Association of Agriculture Educators, a subset of the National Association of Agriculture Educators, another AERO group.