Agriculture students can get hands-on experience at 70-acre farm in Tuscaloosa County

The agricultural industry in the United States is graying, as the average age of farmers creeps ever higher.

According to the United States Department of Agriculture, the average age of an American farmer is 57.5, continuing a long-term trend of America's farmers aging toward retirement. On average, those farmers have been working on their current farm for more than 21 years.

The Agriscience Outdoor Classroom Project, a new program that was proposed to the Tuscaloosa County School System, will address that problem by introducing high school students to the agricultural industry using a hands-on approach.

Tuscaloosa County site of farm plot for education

John Cameron, Tuscaloosa County extension coordinator, said a new farm plot off Finnell Road in the Samantha community in northern Tuscaloosa County will give educators the chance to provide a broad base of agricultural education.

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"This is the whole ball of wax. We are hoping to start some of the program in the fall. It is going to directly impact Tuscaloosa County High, Sipsey Valley High and Northside High, but we want it to impact the whole county," Cameron said.

The 70-acre plot will be divided into various areas of agricultural production including areas for cattle, forestry, traditional row crop farming, bees, sheep and goats, and an orchard. The area will open new opportunities for ag educators to move from the classroom into the field.

Greer Williams, the ag teacher at Tuscaloosa County High who also works with students from Sipsey Valley and Northside in the Northport Career Tech Annex at TCHS said, "At this farm, we're going to cover just about every base that an ag teacher needs to. Everything and anything that is ag, that's what we're going to cover at this farm. It's going to be a multi-use farm that many different agencies can use. There's no doubt it's going to stimulate student interest. It's really going to open the eyes to kids about the ag industry."

The hands-on approach also opens avenues of learning to a broad spectrum of learning styles. Not all students enjoy learning from a book or an electronic device; some would rather have a more direct experience to help them learn. The new Agriscience Outdoor Classroom Project would reach those tactile learners.

"It allows students to connect what they are learning in the classroom to the real world. The up-and-moving tends to be the learning style of a lot of students these days. They are not just hearing about it but they are actually physically doing the things they are being taught. It is more meaningful, and they will remember it longer and be able to see the connection," said Shannon Stubbs, a career counselor at TCHS.

Cameron said the initiative is bringing together people from across the agribusiness industry to help build the future through the program. He presented the program to the Tuscaloosa County School Board in June and has been in contact with Pickens County and Fayette County boards of education about the program.

The role of technology in modern agribusiness

An informational meeting held July 21 at the County Extension Office in Tuscaloosa brought together men and women from across the agricultural industry including working farmers from West Alabama as Cameron works to build a cooperative support environment to help build the fledgling program.

Cameron emphasized that modern farming isn't only about putting seeds into the ground or raising cattle of clearing timber. Modern agribusiness is filled with technology, a fact that he says will help kids who are living in a high-tech society with the more traditional aspects of agribusiness.

"There's tech in there, but a lot of people think agriculture is my granddaddy in a straw hat on a 30-horse(power) tractor and it's not that anymore. There's a lot of things that go on there that people don't understand that was just old school information that our granddaddy's had, but we've now got our research base information coming from the universities I work for," Cameron said.

Farmers and agribusiness people use drone technology for a wide variety of applications, from forestry to spraying row crops. Cameron said if anyone visits a catfish farm in West Alabama, they will see that much of the operation can be run from a iPad.

Tuscaloosa County School System Superintendent Keri Johnson said she loves the approach because it enhances the learning process for students.

"There's only so much you can teach in the classroom, but when kids can put their hands on things and actually see things from start to finish, it makes a difference. They can see a product from the very beginning all the way through the process. They get more experiences when they are out of the classroom," Johnson said.

'In West Alabama, agriculture is alive and thriving'

The superintendent is also excited that the hands-on aspect of learning presents to kids in the TCSS schools.

"The students all have different learning styles, of course, and the kids who would prefer to be outside and have their hands in the dirt, or on an animal, or picking vegetables are definitely going to be more engaged. It gives the kids who like to be in the classroom a chance to see the other side of things. It reaches all of our learning styles," Johnson said.

Johnson sees the potential for programs such as this one to have a strong impact on the future of American agriculture.

"We hope the program will have a positive impact on the future of agriculture. Here in West Alabama, agriculture is alive and thriving. We want our students who will be the next generation of farmers to have the skills to continue the work. To be able to give our students some real skills and knowledge is very exciting."

Reach Gary Cosby Jr. at gary.cosby@tuscaloosanews.com.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Program offers students hands-on work at 70-acre Tuscaloosa County farm