A study examined the attitudes of experienced vocational agriculture teachers concerning the proper ingredients for excellence in teaching. The 14 Ohio teachers who constituted the study population were selected from 130 teachers nominated by Ohio state supervisors and teacher educators as being master teachers; the grounds for selection were that each of the 14 had received 3 or more nominations. Next, 7 of the 14 teachers were randomly selected to complete an opinionaire on what it takes to attain excellence in teaching. Of the essential ingredients offered by the study participants, the following eight were selected for a thorough content analysis: keep technically up to date, be motivated, be interested in the student, set directions, evaluate performance, develop a positive attitude, use community resources, and have a high-quality supervised occupational experience program for each student. (Each of these items is discussed in this report.) (MN)