Distinguished Alumni Travis Scherer

Travis Scherer (B.S., Agricultural Education, 2001; M.S., Youth Development and Agricultural Education, 2008) grew up in Benton County outside Dunnington and then Oxford, Indiana, on a cow-calf operation. He was active in 4-H and FFA and was inspired by his agriculture teachers, Lewis Whistler and Dale Butcher, to study agricultural education at Purdue.

After earning his B.S. in 2001, he taught agriculture for one year at Northeastern Wayne High School in Fountain City, then accepted a position at Tri-County Junior-Senior High School in Wolcott, where he has taught for 20 years.

Photo of Travis Scherer
Travis Scherer, 2022 ASEC Distinguished Alumnus

Scherer is active and has served in several officer positions in the Indiana Association of Agriculture Educators. He also served on the Indiana Team AgEd and Purdue College of Agriculture Dean’s Advisory Council; he was a Director of Purdue Agricultural Alumni Association; and served six years as president of the White County Extension Board. He received the NAAE Region IV Agriscience Teacher of the Year in 2013, an Honorary American FFA Degree in 2020, and the inaugural Golden Owl Award for Indiana in 2021.

Scherer says he is an agriculture teacher by choice and not by chance. He said his biggest honor is that 103 of his students earned their American FFA degrees.

Featured Stories

A sign reading "Hobart and Russell Creighton Hall of Animal Sciences."
2026–27 Animal Sciences scholarship recipients announced

Purdue Animal Sciences awarded $96,300 in scholarships to students for the 2026–27 school...

Read More
Victoria Uyanga
Uyanga brings interdisciplinary approach to poultry science at Purdue

Victoria Uyanga brings expertise in poultry nutrition, physiology and immunology to Purdue Animal...

Read More
A woman wearing glasses and a black jacket stands in front of a large tree, smiling at the camera.
Purdue food scientists encourage caution about AI chatbot advice

AI chatbots can provide useful food safety analysis. However, according to an analysis conducted...

Read More
Andrew Reyes works on target training with female giraffes Asha (left) and Jasiri (right); Andrew presents his research findings to Brookfield Zoo Chicago animal care leadership.
FNR Field Report: Andrew Reyes

Senior wildlife major Andrew Reyes spent his summer as an animal care intern at Brookfield Zoo...

Read More
Xiurui 'Iris' Cui
Xiurui Cui - Postdoctoral Scholar Feature

It wasn’t until she was actually in a veterinary hospital, attempting to give an injection...

Read More
A young Kristin Floress stands in a forested area with a friend in 2006; Floress stands in front of ruins in 2017; Floress holds her Distinguished Alumni plaque in April 2026.
Meet Kristin Floress: 2025 Distinguished Alumni Award Recipient

Dr. Kristin Floress, who earned her PhD from Purdue Forestry and Natural Resources in 2008, has...

Read More