WITH HER tiny hand tucked inside his tan, weathered one, they walked purposefully past the colorful tents and silent carnival rides. The Earth’s aroma mingled with sweet hay. She couldn’t yet read the sign but recognized her destination. Being “farmer for a day” at the Lincoln County Fair was all she could talk about all summer, and she was finally here.
With wide eyes and steps smaller than theirs, she followed the students, listening to them carefully as she gathered eggs and produce and milked Daisy, the cow. She sold her crops and bought a special snack with her profits, having fun while learning about the farm-to-table journey. It was more than an agricultural lesson — it was a connection to the future.
Lincoln County’s diverse employment sector comprises manufacturing, retail, health care, and public services. Agriculture, too, is a vital part of the county’s economy, generating significant economic activity and supporting numerous jobs. Lincoln County’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) and the National FFA Organization (FFA) programs are essential in cultivating the next generation’s skilled workers and leaders for the agricultural industry and beyond.
Growth is at the heart of agriculture, and Julie Burnum, agriculture education/FFA advisor, sees it everywhere, beginning with her students.
She said, “Growth comes from getting out of their comfort zone and experiencing as many activities as possible. FFA is full of opportunities, and we simply help them find each door to walk through next. While we are passionate about agriculture, we are more passionate about developing leaders for our community.”
In Lincoln County, agriculture education is all about hands-on learning. Students dive into projects that allow them to grow, build, and create things that bring classroom lessons to life. Whether learning propagation techniques in the greenhouse, practicing sutures and injections in veterinary sciences, or understanding agribusiness economics, these experiences are designed to make learning tangible and relevant.
“Projects and lab activities help our students not just learn to do but do to learn, like our FFA motto states. FFA is an intracurricular part of the agriculture education program. So, while we teach our standards, we also weave extra FFA skills and activities into the students’ learning,” Burnum explained.
One of the standout projects in the large animal science classes is the broiler project. Students raise broiler chickens from 3 days old to 7 weeks old, learning about selective breeding, feed efficiency, production costs, and market prices. This project teaches technical skills and provides insights into the food supply chain and the realities of agricultural production.
Speaking of reality, opportunities exist to invest in the future of agriculture education — a livestock facility on campus. Burnum said the community has expressed a desire to see this vision come to life for 15 years.
“Our dream would be to have a farm-fresh facility that would allow students hands-on work with live animals, provide a location to expand our broiler project areas, develop our hydroponic lettuce, and add other specialty food crops,” Burnum shared. “A facility that would allow students to experience and develop skills in production agriculture, processing, marketing, and sales. A facility that would allow us to offer summer camps for elementary students as well. Our FFA motto is, ‘Learning to Do, Doing to Learn, Earning to Live, and Living to Serve.’ This initiative is a viable way to truly incorporate and expand our program to meet the ideals of our motto.”
The hydroponic lettuce grown at school has already been served in the cafeteria and used locally by Sweet Feed Company and Buckley Farm. This dream facility would take these efforts to the next level, connecting students even more deeply with the agricultural community and supporting local farmers.
The FFA program also provides numerous opportunities for students to apply what they have learned in real-world settings. Students volunteer at various community events throughout the year, gaining hands-on experience and developing leadership skills. They work at the county fair, educating younger children through their Farmer for a Day program, and they maintain livestock areas. They serve at local gatherings like Pasta Premier and Farm-to-Table and help organize and host Farm Safety and Farm Days in the spring.
“Our FFA is active in competitions throughout the year,” Burnum shared, “which are full of specialized knowledge and real-world settings, such as judging meat and poultry quality, milk and dairy product quality, and livestock, dairy cattle, and horse judging teams.”
Burnum believes that these experiences and opportunities for growth make the students valuable assets to the agricultural industry and their community.
She said, “Agriculture is such a diverse industry, and it encompasses not just the food, but also the cotton fibers for our clothing, the timber for our lumber in our homes, [and] the beauty in our landscaping. Agriculture really touches every aspect of our daily life. Production agriculture requires people who want to serve others in ways that most people would never want to do. Production agriculturalists, locally and globally, have to understand the science behind soil, plants, animal genetics, proper harvesting, and safety. They have to be engineers, mechanics, and problem solvers.”
A little more than a decade later, among the graduating class is the “farmer for the day.” She’s on her way to fulfilling her dream work as an agriculturalist. She has no trouble recognizing her destination thanks to the influence of a fair exhibit and a village of agriculture educators and FFA members and directors. GN
