Rural schools in Missouri are finding new ways to reconnect students with agriculture, even if they did not grow up on a farm.
The Golden City R-III School District used a $50,000 grant to help launch a new school farm and animal science classroom, giving students hands-on experience through its growing Future Farmers of America program.
Dennis Kimzey, superintendent of the school district, said many local students are interested in agriculture but no longer have access to family farms at home.
“What started out as an empty seven acres, now it’s fenced in,” Kimzey pointed out. “It has cattle and pigs and chickens, and next year we’re going to be able to house goats and sheep, and kids are going to be able to have their student projects for their FFA.”
The district hopes the program will help prepare students for careers tied to Missouri’s agricultural economy. The first student projects are expected to begin rolling out this summer.
With just 175 students in the district from pre-K through 12th grade, the new farm is designed to serve all age groups, from high school FFA projects to elementary gardens and outdoor learning spaces.
Kimzey noted the project comes at a time when agriculture faces economic pressure nationwide, and many small farms are struggling to survive.
“Farms are being taken over by big companies,” Kimzey observed. “It’s hard for small farmers to make it nowadays. Part of that’s just the price of land and crop prices, cattle prices going up and down. So, they’re very volatile.”
Kimzey added that the project has since attracted additional grant funding and strong community support.
Roughly 75% of the district’s high school students are now enrolled in FFA-related coursework, making it one of the school’s largest programs.
Missouri News Service, a partner with KRCU Public Radio, originally published this story.
