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State Representative Jim Buchy
Breaking Down
Geographical Barriers for Success in Agriculture
The school year has ended and now is the best time to fully examine the
results of Ohio State’s “Agri-science in the City” program. The
close of this school year also marks the completion of the first full
year of “Agri-science in the City”. The program has connected one
high school and one elementary in both Cleveland and Cincinnati with
leaders in Ohio’s agricultural sector. As a result, young people
are being exposed to the processes and importance of agriculture from
field to plate. This program is especially important in preparing
young people for unfilled positions in Ohio’s food processing industry.
In Columbus, my colleagues have been learning about the success and
challenges of this program as we consider continued funding for the
program in the state’s budget. The goal of this program is to
expose the young people to values and knowledge of agriculture that we
often take for granted in western Ohio. Based on that exposure
experts believe the young people will be able to enter into the
workforce as team members, scientist and leaders in the food production
industry.
Reports from Cleveland and Cincinnati show major promise for the
program. In Cleveland, forty-three high school students are
wearing blue and gold FFA jackets and every student at George
Washington Carver Elementary is engaged in 4-H or FFA on a weekly basis
from grades K through 8. As the instructors work to gain respect
in the community, they are establishing relationships with local
churches and getting to know parents. In western Ohio, we take
for granted that there will be volunteers to coach teams, lead Boy
Scout and Girl Scout troops, and serve as 4-H advisors. The
biggest challenge experienced in both Cleveland and Cincinnati is
finding qualified volunteers to engage with the young people and serve
as role models.
In Cincinnati and Cleveland, the 4-H camps are gearing up with more
young people than were engaged last year and both 4-H clubs plan to
participate in the fair. We have evidence that the children at
Rothenberg Elementary in Cincinnati, which offers 4-H in the classroom,
are engaged and they are becoming increasingly interested in
agriculture. Upon elementary graduation, seven children have
elected to enroll in Gamble Montessori Jr. High and High School, which
houses the FFA program. Traditionally, the children at Rothenberg
go to Taft High School, but Taft doesn’t offer agriculture and these
seven young people want to join the agriculture program that is part of
“Agri-science in the City”. As a result of these connections with
the young children, the FFA programs will continue to grow and young
people will be graduating with skills in agriculture that can translate
to filling vacant positions in Ohio’s number one industry.
The program is likely to continue to have challenges that the
leadership of the program must overcome, but the successes must be
measured as they come. Providing young people the opportunity to
learn about agriculture and possibly pursue a career in the field may
be the key to them achieving their vocation. In western Ohio,
every day we see young people achieve major successes that are not
determined by geography. “Agri-science in the City” is about
breaking down geographical barriers for young people who can succeed in
a career in agriculture from field to table.
Please provide your opinion on the issues in the news this month by
completing an online survey at tinyurl.com/buchyjune2015
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