Jeana Curtis was born and raised in La Plata in #Agri-Ready Designated Macon County without an agriculture background. She joined the La Plata FFA Chapter when it was chartered in 2012. Thanks to agriculture leadership opportunities through FFA, she fell in love with agriculture her sophomore year. The agriculture industry is not often known for its pomp and circumstance, but the POWER of pageantry has been a part of Jeana’s unique agriculture journey.

As a young student growing up in the La Plata community, Jeana was a self-proclaimed tom-boy. She enjoyed hunting, fishing, and racing go carts. In an interesting turn of events, she was invited to participate in her hometown pageant program. “I was the youngest participant at that contest, and I had no experience. I just went to have fun and somehow, I won,” Jeana recalled. She soaked up the skill-building interview process and the challenge of public speaking.  She loved meeting new people, making connections, and building relationships through a series of pageants over the years that followed her first local pageant. Jeana didn’t realize that everything she was learning would prepare her for her life experiences.

Jeana thought her pageant days were behind her when she embarked on her collegiate journey to find the agriculture career that best suited her. She thought that she would pursue a career in animal reproduction. In fact, some of Jeana’s well-earned pageantry winnings helped her purchase a semen tank when she became AI (Artificial Insemination) certified. Jeana completed an Animal Science Degree with a minor in Agriculture Business at Northwest Missouri State University and entered the agriculture industry with a vision in the back of her mind to someday teach agriculture education. 

“I had a very finite list of wishes and goals that I wanted to meet if I were to become an agriculture teacher. As I contemplated that career change, all of them became attainable and I took that as a sign that agriculture education was the way I should go. I applied for and was accepted into a Master of Agriculture Education program,” Jeana said. Jeana is serving in her third year as the agriculture instructor and FFA advisor at La Plata R-2 High School. She is thrilled to be planting the seeds of agricultural education in the hearts of students in her hometown.

Jeana’s passion in her agriculture classroom is to prepare her students with a superior foundation of agriculture basics. “I will never forget sitting in a college classroom and hearing ‘there are 56 pounds in each bushel of corn’ and I thought to myself, ‘what’s a bushel?’ I want my students to know enough about agriculture that they are prepared to have a conversation with an agriculturist anywhere. I want them to know at least a little about a lot of different things, so that they can go anywhere and be successful,” Jeana said. “I also love to help them experience leadership and to try things outside of their comfort zone.”

The La Plata FFA Chapter recently celebrated its ten year milestone. Even after a decade, the chapter still sees numerous opportunities for growth.

“Some members of the La Plata community are still learning that our school has an agriculture program. I work hard so that all members of our community can know the valuable role agriculture education has for our community. Agriculture education and FFA is not just for farm kids, so we reach out and implement activities outside the classroom,” Jeana said. “It is important that every member of our rural community gets the opportunity to understand and appreciate agriculture.” 

Jeana’s pageant experiences have come full circle in the confidence she hopes to instill in each of her graduating students. “My only regret as an FFA member was backing out of a public speaking contest. I used to think that the leadership, networking, and speaking opportunities of the pageant programs were silly. Now I can see how much those experiences helped me gain knowledge and understanding that have made me successful in all my endeavors,” Jeana said. “I want each of my students to never turn down an interview, to always try something new, to always be preparing themselves for a future opportunity.”

Jeana has returned to the pageant circuit and has held Miss United States Agriculture titles at the county, state, Midwest, and national levels. As Miss United States Agriculture in 2020, she created opportunities to advocate about the diversity of Missouri agriculture. Jeana most recently served as Mrs. United States Agriculture and is currently Missouri Mrs. Agvocate USA.

Jeana’s husband, Colton, is a full-time row crop and cattle farmer. They have a daughter, Kaylee, who is ten months old. Jeana is building on her experiences to pursue long-term goals that include education outside of the classroom and agriculture policy. Jeana is a member of Missouri Farmers Care partner Missouri Vocational Agriculture Teachers Association and serves on the board of the Adair/Schuyler County Farm Bureau board of directors, a part of Missouri Farm Bureau Federation.