California Agricultural Teachers' Association

What California Agricultural Teachers' Association does

The California Agricultural Teachers' Association (CATA) is a California-based nonprofit professional membership organization founded in 1920 at the University of California Davis Farm. It represents over 1,000 voluntary agricultural educators across middle school, high school, community college, and university levels throughout California, organized into six geographic regions (Central, North Coast, San Joaquin, South Coast, Southern, and Superior) and further subdivided into 4-7 sections per region. CATA's mission is to promote and improve the teaching of agriculture in California's public and private schools and to foster the welfare of those engaged in the profession.

CATA's core offerings include professional development through its annual Summer Conference (107th edition scheduled for June 21-25, 2026 in San Luis Obispo), Agriskills sessions, the year-long Cal Delta Conference, and the Farm Show exhibition at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. The organization also governs FFA contest standards through its Curricular Code, runs awards programs including the Hall of Fame and Teacher of Excellence, processes Continuing Education Units (CEUs) through a partnership with Fresno Pacific University, publishes the Golden Slate newsletter, and supports the CalAg License Plate program with the California FFA Foundation.

CATA generates revenue primarily through annual membership dues (membership year July 1 to June 30), conference registration fees ranging from $350-540 for members and $490-540 for non-members, Farm Show exhibitor booth fees ($175-200), CEU processing fees ($100-200 per participant), and ancillary social event fees. The organization operates through a MemberClicks-powered online portal for membership management and conference registration, supported by a small staff led by Executive Director Matt Patton and governed by an elected Executive Committee and Governing Board. CATA maintains formal coordination with the California Department of Education (Summer Conference co-sponsor), California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office, ACTE, NAAE, and the California FFA Foundation.

Name

California Agricultural Teachers' Association

Legal name

California Agricultural Teachers' Association

Website

https://calagteachers.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1920

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The California Agricultural Teachers' Association (CATA) is a California-based nonprofit professional membership organization, founded in 1920, representing over 1,000 agricultural educators across middle school, high school, community college, and university levels through six regional networks and annual professional development programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Education Association Services

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDADACAJ

Accreditation Standards, Benchmarking & Framework Organizations

Education/Education Administration, Accreditation & Policy/Accreditation Bodies (Institutional & Programmatic)

SECONDARYEDADACAC

Programmatic Accreditors (Discipline/Profession-Specific)

Education/Education Administration, Accreditation & Policy/Accreditation Bodies (Institutional & Programmatic)

SECONDARYEDADAJAA

Initial Teacher Certification & Licensure Boards

Education/Education Administration, Accreditation & Policy/Teacher Certification, Licensing & Professional Standards Boards

Keywords

• Professional membership association
• Agricultural education
• Teacher professional development
• Curricular code governance
• FFA contest standards

Headquarters

HQ city

Galt

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: CATA generates revenue through annual membership dues from agricultural teachers at middle school, high school, community college, and university levels. Membership year runs July 1 to June 30. Members pay dues at sectional meetings or through online portal.
2. Conference Registration Fees: Annual Summer Conference generates revenue through registration fees ranging from free (student teachers) to $540 (non-members), plus additional fees for Agriskills sessions, meals, and banquets.
3. Farm Show Exhibitor Fees: Commercial exhibition booth fees at annual Farm Show event, with booths priced at $175 for 8'x8' or $200 for 8'x16', with complimentary booths for Corporate Members.
4. Continuing Education Units: CATA partners with Fresno Pacific University to offer CEUs for conference attendance, generating revenue at $100-200 per participant.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The California Agricultural Teachers' Association (CATA) is a non-profit professional membership association that supports over 1,000 agricultural educators across California at the middle school, high school, community college, and university levels. It delivers professional development through the annual Summer Conference, Farm Show, and Cal Delta Conference, governs FFA contest standards via its Curricular Code, advocates for agricultural education at the state legislative level, and operates recognition and awards programs such as the Hall of Fame and Teacher of the Year.

Product overview

CATA is a professional membership organization representing over 1,000 agricultural teachers across California at middle school, high school, community college, and university levels. The organization provides professional development through conferences (CATA Summer Conference, Farm Show, Cal Delta Conference), awards programs (Hall of Fame, Pathway Teachers of the Year, Outstanding Teacher awards), curricular code resources for FFA leadership contests, advocacy support, and member services through a MemberClicks-powered portal.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CATA Annual Membership Annual membership for agricultural teachers at middle school, high school, community college, and university levels in California, providing access to professional development, networking, Curricular Code resources, advocacy support, and awards programs. Membership runs July 1 to June 30.
• CATA Summer Conference Annual multi-day professional development conference for CATA members featuring Agriskills sessions, business meetings, awards, networking, and CEU credits processed through Fresno Pacific University. Pricing ranges from free for student teachers to $540 for non-members.
• CATA Farm Show Annual commercial exhibition event held at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo that connects agricultural industry vendors with over 1,000 California agricultural instructors through booth displays and networking. Booth pricing is $175 for 8'x8' and $200 for 8'x16', with complimentary booths for CATA Corporate Members.
• Cal Delta Conference Year-long premier professional development experience for agricultural educators featuring mentorship, seminars, and culminating recognition at the Summer Conference. 108+ teachers have completed the program since its inception nearly two decades ago.

Quantifiable outcome

• 108+ teachers have completed the Delta Conference transformational program since its inception nearly two decades ago

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational organization representing career and technical education professionals. CATA members have significantly influenced ACTE's structure, policies, and practices. CATA coordinates with ACTE on annual conferences and professional development standards.
• National Association of Agricultural Educators (NAAE)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational professional organization for agricultural educators. CATA maintains strong leadership involvement and coordinates the annual NAAE/ACTE Conference participation. State-level award winners' applications are submitted to NAAE by May 15 deadline.
• California FFA FoundationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNon-profit foundation supporting California FFA and agricultural education. CATA works with the Foundation Board to complete their missions, including the CalAg License Plate program benefiting agricultural education programs statewide.
• California Association FFAmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerState FFA organization for student agricultural education. CATA maintains FFA Adult Board for fiscal oversight and FFA Advisory Committee for program feedback. Teachers serve as FFA advisors. CATA Curricular Code governs FFA contests.
• California Community Colleges Chancellor's OfficecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState oversight body for California community colleges. CATA's Post-Secondary Division coordinates with the Chancellor's Office on agricultural education standards, C-ID course numbering system, and Faculty Discipline Review Group (FDRG) participation.
• Teach Ag CaliforniaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTeacher recruitment initiative for agricultural education. CATA supports and promotes Teach Ag California as part of its Teacher Recruitment committee mission to attract prospective agricultural teachers into the profession.
• California Department of EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState education department. CATA Summer Conference is co-sponsored by the California Department of Education. State Agricultural Education Staff provide oversight for FFA programs and agricultural education initiatives.
• Fresno Pacific University - Continuing EducationminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartner university for processing and granting Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for CATA Summer Conference and Agriskills Institute attendance.
• Cal Poly San Luis ObispomajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost university for CATA Summer Conference and Farm Show. Cal Poly's School of Agriculture maintains close partnership with CATA for hosting annual events and agricultural education initiatives.
• California Agricultural Teachers' Association Induction Program (CalAgTIP)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTeacher induction program for new agricultural educators. CATA promotes and supports CalAgTIP as part of new teacher support and retention efforts.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Teach Ag California: State-level teacher recruitment initiative for agricultural education; CATA supports and promotes Teach Ag California through its Teacher Recruitment committee, making it a complementary mission-aligned partner rather than a peer.
• National FFA Organization: National student organization for agricultural education; CATA's Curricular Code governs FFA contests and teachers serve as FFA advisors, making FFA a closely linked but functionally distinct (student-focused) organization.
• California FFA Association: California state FFA student organization; CATA maintains the FFA Adult Board for fiscal oversight and FFA Advisory Committee for program feedback, making it a direct ecosystem partner rather than a competitor.

Broad incumbents

• National Education Association (NEA): Largest national teacher membership organization; comparable in operating model (dues-funded, state affiliates, annual conferences) but covers all K-12 educators and serves as a broader incumbent to discipline-specific associations like CATA.
• California Teachers Association (CTA): Statewide K-12 teacher union in California; shares the membership-organization model but is broader in scope (all teachers), focuses on collective bargaining rather than discipline-specific PD, and serves a much larger membership base.
• American Federation of Teachers (AFT): National teacher union with state and local affiliates; comparable membership-driven revenue and advocacy model but operates as a labor union rather than a discipline-specific professional association, serving as a broader incumbent.
• Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE): National CTE membership organization; CATA members have significantly influenced ACTE's structure and policies, and both collaborate on the annual NAAE/ACTE Conference, making ACTE a broader incumbent covering CTE disciplines beyond agriculture.

Emerging players

• National Science Teaching Association (NSTA): Discipline-specific teacher membership organization (science education); operates the same model of standards development, conferences, and PD for educators as CATA, making it a structural peer in a different K-12 discipline.

Direct peers

• National Association of Agricultural Educators (NAAE): National-level professional membership organization for agricultural educators; CATA coordinates directly with NAAE on award submissions and the annual NAAE/ACTE Conference, making it the closest peer in mission and structure.
• Vocational Agriculture Teachers Association of Texas (VATAT): State-level agricultural teachers' association in Texas; operates with the same membership, professional development, and advocacy model as CATA but in a different region, making it a direct functional peer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/calagteachers
• Facebookfacebook.com/CalAgEdTeachers
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/california-agricultural-teachers-association-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about California Agricultural Teachers' Association