While agricultural classes are offered in many high schools across Kentucky, there has been a void of educating and preparing young individuals on in-depth step by step farming endeavors.   Furthermore, farming has often been considered a career where only minimal education is needed to take care of animals and/or the land, it has contrarily evolved into a very prestigious occupation that requires countless hours, enormous expenses, and great risks.  When managed efficiently, significant profits, sustainability and improvements to the land and its resources can be gained.  Furthermore, understanding the use of money management, loan operations, fundamentals of land and animal conservation practices and obtaining and applying education learned from school, college and agricultural services (Extension, Soil Conservation, FSA, etc.) have become nearly essential in successful farming.   In an effort to address the 4-H core curriculum area of agriculture on an advanced level; Harrison County 4-H has teamed together with the local Soil Conservation and loan agency to educate high school Ag students about real life farming applications.  This program has reached nearly 430 male and female junior and senior students in agricultural classrooms over the past 7 years.

This year the Farm Inc. program involved 32 upperclassmen Agriculture students who collectively farmed over 1700 acres by working with 20 local agribusiness men and women and participate in the live auction.

This two week event gives students classroom and hands on experience through student centered learning and student inquiry.  The first few days of the program are spent in the classroom helping youth select a farm from a selection of several scenarios.  During day 1 students are prepped for the Farming Game (the real life simulation event that students experience on the final day).  This is followed by giving students the option of being a full time farmer or selecting an outside job to accompany their part-time farming endeavors.   Students then include income from occupation chosen (if applicable) to their budget sheets along with their cost of living.  Soil Conservation representatives come to the classroom and teach the students how to read soil maps, understand which soil types are best suited for certain farming practices, soil series profiles and crop yields, and tillable vs. wooded acres (with forest compositions provided). Loan officer representatives come to the classroom and educate on completing farm budgets with income and expense summary sheets.  Based on the above learned information and the students’ interest they are to determine what their farming endeavors will include and as well as research and be prepared to “farm” their operation on the final day.  Students were given 6 days to brainstorm, plan, research budgets, explore, etc. for their farms. The final day of the program allows students to spend the day farming (determining income and expenses for the year) by visiting vendors who pertain to their farming operation.  Vendors include real life business men and women from local equipment dealers, crop insurance employees, loan officers, foresters, horticulture specialists, tobacco representatives, ADM Grain agents, livestock dealers (both breeding and market) and feed/supply stores.  This event provides an eye-opening experience to students on annual expenses (usually much greater than realized) and income (usually much less than needed) that are associated with different farming scenarios.  Students develop realizations about important farm management decisions when working with vendors. (Example: buying cows to sell the calves involves expenses such as pasture management, vet expenses, feed bills, fencing supplies, facility costs, calf death rates, market volatility, etc.).   

94 percent of the students evaluation responses included that they “strongly agree” this program gave them a better understanding of agriculture production and business practices.

When asked what they like least about the program, most students responded with things such “nothing, rushed, too much time, etc.), but one notably wrote “the stress”. Students definitely feel the pressure of managing a farm throughout the day and trying to earn a profit.

Below are some of the responses from the question, what do you like best about the program: