A little more than two years ago, Seymour Community Schools officials began to discuss ideas for projects that would improve career opportunities for students.
One of those ideas involved better utilization of the nearly 235 acres of farm property the corporation owns at Freeman Field.
Out of those talks has come a proposal to create a “farm school,” where students will be able to explore and research agriculture-related topics and issues beyond the classroom.
Superintendent Rob Hooker presented options to school board trustees Tuesday for building a new, high-tech agriculture facility.
The possibilities include a presentation/lecture hall with theater seating, a demonstration hall to accommodate large combines or other farming implements and welding demonstrations, ag-science classrooms, office space and a kitchen for food science study and experiments.
“Farming is not what it was back in the day,” he said. “It’s a complicated business.”
The farm school also would incorporate outdoor farming and gardening plots for the hands-on study of horticulture, botany, landscaping and crop production and possibly house livestock for animal science.
Other areas of study and research the farm school would support are ag economics, ag and biological engineering, robotics, forestry and lumber, natural resources, machinery operations and farm safety.
“The possibilities are almost unlimited when considering farming and agribusiness experiences,” Hooker added.
He said the corporation could feasibly afford to spend about $2 million for construction and to equip the facility with the technology and amenities students would need. That cost would be paid for through existing Capital Projects Fund monies and could be spread out in two phases with the potential to expand as needed, he said.
Trustees already are investing in growing the district’s ag program by approving a new eight-week supervised ag internship experience this summer for high school students and hiring a new ag teacher to begin teaching agriculture curriculum at the middle school.
The farm school proposal is still in its earliest stages.
Hooker said he and others will begin seeking input from the local farming and agribusiness community and research other similar programs in the Midwest.
He hopes to bring back recommendations to the board in April and move forward with hiring an architect to design the project and seek bids for construction.
“If all goes accordingly, we would then award the bids in October,” Hooker said. “It’s a rather aggressive timeline.”
Such a facility not only could be used by Seymour agriculture students, but also would provide opportunities for development by FFA groups from other county schools, area 4-H groups, local agribusinesses and college agriculture programs at Ivy Tech Community College, Purdue University and Indiana University Purdue University Columbus.
Hooker said students and their families are looking for programs and classes necessary for college that will help lead to high-paying careers. Often students take the wrong courses, he said, and end up switching majors and spending more money in college.
Agriculture and natural resources is the fifth-leading college major projected to have the highest earnings of 2015 college graduates, Hooker said. The average lifetime earnings in the field is estimated at $2.6 million, according to a USA Today report.
“Return on investment are the magic words we hear,” he said. “What can we do to give our students the chance to learn as much as they can about opportunities.”
Over the years, the farm ground has generated a modest income, $50,000 to $60,000 annually from crops, Hooker said. That money is used for agriculture scholarships, to purchase equipment and to cover the costs of farming.
Hooker said the project wouldn’t interfere with the revenue received from the farm at this time.
“We are blessed to have this land that we can use,” he said. “We think it’s an ideal time to put our heads together and come up with some ideas.”