Molalla Ag: Teacher to receive Honorary FFA Degree at National Convention

For all you do, this honor is for you.

That about sums up the impact that Mackenzie Behrle has had at Molalla High School as an agriculture teacher and FFA advisor.

For all that time and effort, Behrle will receive the Honorary American FFA Degree at the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana later in October.

The award recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to agricultural education and the FFA organization through personal commitment. And that’s just what Behrle has been about in hers 24 years of teaching.

“The best part of my job is the continued relationship I have with former students after they graduate,” Behrle explained. “I have been to college graduations, weddings and have held students' babies. I love seeing what they do with their lives.”

Behrle began this journey as a member of the Hidden Valley FFA Chapter through high school, serving as chapter president for two years and competing at the state level for extemporaneous public speaking.

Her favorite event in FFA were parliamentary procedure where she was chairman of her debate team for four years.

She raised beef cattle in high school and managed the collegiate swine facility at Oregon State University.

Behrle started her teaching career at Willamina High School where she taught for seven years before moving on to Molalla High School.

Throughout her career, Behrle has guided students to remarkable achievements, including a variety of state championship teams that went on to compete at the national level.

Most notably, her 2006 Food Science & Technology Team placed second in the nation. Under her mentorship, 48 students have earned American FFA Degrees, alongside more than 100 State FFA Degree recipients, three State Star Farmer Placement winners and 14 State Proficiency Award winners.

Additionally, during her career she has had four Oregon FFA State Officers including the current Oregon FFA State President, Dale Nelzen.

To say she has made an impact would be an understatement.

“I am achieving everything in life that my immigrant parents wanted for me, and more,” said Emilie Mendoza, a 2020 MHS graduate and 2024 University of Oregon graduate. “However, I would not have reached this point if it wasn’t for the confidence and skills that I gained through having Ms. Behrle as a teacher, mentor, and adviser. Participating in FFA and her classes was a remarkable experience. I think all her students would agree that what made it truly impactful and worth it, was her, and the constant support - or as some would say ‘tough love’ - that she gave us."

Gavin Barrett, 2018 MHS graduate and current third-year Duke Law School student, said, “It’s hard to imagine that any teacher had a larger impact on the direction of my life than Ms. Behrle. She is passionate about teaching and developing her students in a way that is hard to understand without seeing the way she interacts with them on a daily basis. Very few times in my life have I felt as challenged and believed in as I felt in her classes. Often in my day-to-day life I use lessons I carried forward from her classes and teachings as an FFA advisor. Tactics I learned in her public speaking class spill through into arguments I make in my legal career.”

Behrle will be honored during the national convention Oct. 23-26.