Mike Kastl Receives FFA VIP Award

Mike Kastl, OCC/AML Program director, received the VIP Award from the Oklahoma FFA Association. The presentation took place on May 3, 2011, during the 85th Annual State FFA Convention in Oklahoma City.

The award is considered the “Academy Award” for the FFA and is presented to only one or two individuals annually who have supported FFA members, local chapters and the state association over an extended period of time. In order to qualify for the award, the recipients must have previously received the Honorary State FFA Degree.

Recognized in August 2010 for his 35 years of service, Kastl has had a long and distinguished career with the Oklahoma Conservation Commission where he is known to have championed the reclamation of abandoned coal mines in Oklahoma. Previous to joining OCC, Kastl was an FFA advisor and teacher at Edmond and John Marshall high schools, an Oklahoma State University agricultural education graduate, and an award-winning FFA member. He also worked briefly in broadcasting.

Kastl served as the first-ever Oklahoma FFA Alumni Leadership Camp Coordinator and is credited with establishing lasting traditions which have fueled much of the camp’s success over the years. He served as chairman of the Oklahoma FFA Alumni Council from 1974-1978.

Additionally, Kastl aided in the establishment of OSU Agricultural Education Scholarship Incorporated in which his involvement has made him the only Chairman of the Board for an organization that has raised over $1 million to provide scholarships for FFA members who desire to enter the agricultural education degree program at OSU.

FFA is an integral part of the Agricultural Education Division within the Oklahoma Career Tech System. The Oklahoma FFA Association is the sixth largest state association in the nation with more than 23,000 members, and is proud to be the home of the current national FFA president, Riley Pagett, from Woodward, Okla. The FFA mission is to make a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education.