Hometown: Grove, Okla.
Family: Wife Shelby Bergman; parents, Billy and Charlotte Bergman; brother, Nicholas Bergman; and sister Jenny Bergman.
In Town: Garrett Bergman is the agriculture education instructor and FFA advisor at Miami High School in Miami, Okla.
“I teach a wide variety of agriculture education courses,” he said. “That includes plant science, animal science, natural resources, ag power and tech, ag communications, ag business, just a variety of courses that can be offered to students.”
In addition to classroom instruction, Garrett’s FFA members are active in community service and Career Development Event competitions. The work done by chapter members and Garrett Bergman, who is assisted in the classroom by his wife Shelby, who serves as his teaching assistant, the Miami FFA has received high accolades.
“Miami is recognized as a 3-Star program, which is the highest honor a program can get at the national level,” Garrett said. “We’re also a Model of Excellence finalist, and there’s only 10 of those in the National FFA [Association]. We have a virtual presentation/interview where we will be competing against the other finalists. If we’re selected, we will be completing at National FFA Convention to see if we are one, two or three; huge honor.”
Before coming to Miami High School, Garrett taught at Stilwell and Grove, Okla.. He was recently honored as one of four 2022 STAR Spotlight on Teaching Agriculture recipients, a peer-nominated award spotlighting teachers for outstanding and innovative work in the classroom and lab instruction and serving their program and community.
In the Country: Garrett has a diversified agriculture background.
“I grew up on a farm in Gore, Okla., and we have everything from hogs to goats, cattle to pecan trees, and we did forestry production,” Garrett said. “I was a farm kid, and I went through FFA from eighth grade through my senior year. I was active in livestock judging contest area and was an officer in the Grove FFA; I got a taste for farm life through my youth.”
Garrett’s family still operates the family farm, and he is very involved.
“When I’m not working at the school or out with students at contests or events, I’m out working on the farm. It might be out on a tractor in the hayfield or working the livestock,” Garrett said, adding that the family operation has moved from cattle to meat goats and forest production. Garrett said the family is also involved in hay production.
