Littlefield High School is welcoming Cody Graham, one of two new agriculture teachers hired this year, into its Agricultural Science Department.
Before moving to Littlefield to start a new chapter of his life in the school’s agricultural science department, Graham graduated from Texas A& M University in 2024 with a Bachelor of Science, going on to teach agriculture science at O’Donnell for two years. He said he took an interest in Littlefield after hearing how its ag program has been trending upwards over the past two years.
“It was everything I heard about the town, and how good their ag program has been, trending upward in the past two years, and it was, you know, I had heard a lot of good stuff from people that had taught there, or new people that had taught there,” said Graham.
As he begins his first year at Littlefield, Graham said that, with Littlefield winning the sweepstakes in their speaking competition last spring, one of his main priorities is to build on the success already established in Littlefield’s Future Farmers of America (FFA) program, particularly in competitions and student achievement.
“We want to win it again next year, to one, retire that trophy with Littlefield High School and Littlefield FFA, as well as make sure our students can get good scholarship opportunities and do well not just with us in high school through FFA, but be prepared to go to college and do good in college as well,” said Graham.
Beyond competitions, Graham grew up participating in FFA at his high school and expressed that FFA not only plays a significant role in student development by providing a sense of belonging for those who may not be involved in sports, but also teaches important values such as responsibility and leadership.
“It gives you responsibility in taking care of something, but even outside of the showing animals aspect, you have the officer teams, which put you in a leadership role of those kids, and so they can help with leading kind of the student body and getting themselves in leadership positions while they’re still in high school,” said Graham.
Graham said the transition into Littlefield has been smooth so far, noting that both the administration and fellow staff members have been supportive throughout the whole process.
Graham added that the teachers and administrators who have taken the time to help him get settled in have made it much easier to adjust to the new setting and program. As he begins his first year at Littlefield, Graham said his focus is on building strong students academically, competitively, and personally through the agriculture program.