Wanted: Agriculture Partners.

Sumrall, B. W. (2000). Wanted: agriculture partners. The Agricultural Education Magazine, 73(2). 16-17. 

All educators are interested in preparing our students for the best and brightest future possible, right? How
do we achieve this goal? What obstacles are out there? Many of us can relate to horror stories of trying to
foster the growth of our programs and the success of our students. Is there an answer to the madness of
growth with all of the extra responsibilities that are demanded with our jobs from school administration and
the ever-changing role of education today? How do we cope with the less than desirable outlook of
agriculture in this new millennium? Are we fighting a losing battle? 

I feel that there is an answer to all of the above questions. The role of agriculture educators is challenging
to say the least, but for the most part, that is why we chose this profession... the challenge, the love of
agriculture, and the joy of working with youth. Life is Good! 

Imagine, if you will, that we can roll back the clock and we are sitting in the Freshman seat and needed to
take a pre-test. The subject is agricultural education. The pre-test is as follows:. 

If you are a first year or relatively new teacher, these are some very hard questions to answer. Even if you
have been in agriculture education for some time, in a small program or one that is hard pressed for
resources, the answers can be hard. Sometimes the hardest part of improving our programs is being
honest with ourselves. We as educators need to look at our programs and ourselves. Evaluate the
strengths and weaknesses of both. 

So, what should I do then? Take a long hard look around, and what do you see? The science instructor
down the hall, the administrator in the front office, the local extension agent, the agencies in the state, the
universities down the road and out of state, the organizations committed to agriculture, the corporations
and foundations that are committed to education and agriculture. This one sentence is loaded with
resources. The question now is, how do I make it work? 

MAKING IT WORKLet me share some information about our program. I work at The Piney Woods School
in Piney Woods, MS. The school is one of four historically black, private, boarding schools in the United
States. Our enrollment is open to all races. We have 300 students from seventh through twelfth grades.
The student population originates from 29 different states, three foreign countries and reside in rural
communities to sprawling inner cities. That is diversity! Most of the students don't have any prior
knowledge of agriculture. We teach three classes, Introductory AgriScience, AgriScience, and Advanced
AgriScience, which we tweaked to provide the appropriate education to our 11-12 grades. Our enrollment in
agriculture is about 45 students per year. Our students are engaged in several aspects of agriculture
education, CDE's, and work experiences. 

We have had as many as 29 students at one time, particularly in the summer, engaged in internships.
These range from summer programs at universities, internships in USDA offices, summer work programs,
and collaborations with organizations and other schools (Arkansas Land and Farm Development
Corporation and the Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences). 

How have we accomplished this with such a small program? By answering the questions in the pretest and
being honest with ourselves in defining our strengths and weaknesses. 

We contact people in the various agencies and ask if there are any internships and possible collaborative
efforts. The answer to that question may surprise you. Many agencies, organizations, universities, and
corporations as well as private entities are eager to form new partnerships with educational institutions.
Many of our students have had the opportunity to work with research scientists at universities as well as
learn from mentor farmers and para-professionals in many areas of agriculture. 

Agriculture is an area that is difficult to acquire funding--especially at the high school level. However, there
are several programs out there that are looking for bright young people to provide educational opportunities.
They make the commitment to work with these young people and fulfill their own quest to acquire potential
students in their agriculture programs. This is an excellent opportunity for young people to explore new
academic adventures and experience college while still in high school. The world is a classroom in itself. 

CONNECTING WITH AGENCIESAnother area in which we have enjoyed success is in partnerships. One
such partnership is with the Bureau of Land Management. This has evolved from assistance with one of our
science classes as resource persons, to a full Environmental Science curriculum for the students. In the
Agriculture Department, we have entered into an agreement to serve as a Satellite for the Wild Horse and
Burro program. We feed and maintain some of the animals here on our farm. This allows for the students to
experience some environmental issues first hand... the preservation of some of God's most beautiful
creatures. It also opens the door to resource people that can teach environmental issues, equine
management and provides positive adult role modeling for students. This partnership has afforded many
benefits to our program and our students. Probably the greatest benefit is the friendships that have been
fostered with our school and students. 

COMMERCIAL CONNECTIONSOur program has been blessed with interested individuals who have helped
improve our educational climate. This has ranged from assistance in environmental education with the
introduction of an anaerobic digester in our swine lagoon (great public relations and agriscience project) to
beginning construction of an aqua-center that will focus on catfish, crawfish, talapia, and fresh water
shrimp. These improvements have come about by promoting our program and students. Our doors are
open to visitors all the time. Whenever visitors come, our students are allowed and encouraged to show off
their hard work and commitment. The student is the best public relations tool for a program. The student is
the heart of what any program is about. The necessity of improving education and supporting the program
both academically and financially become very real when students are telling the story. 

WANTEDMany of the successes of our program and students could not possibly be carried out without the
benefit of partners and collaborative efforts of our supporters. When you consider the benefits of mentors,
resource persons, academic programs, financial support, public relations, and friendships, how can you
not seek partnerships? 

Added material. 

Billy W. Sumrall is with Piney Woods School, Piney Woods, MS. 

PRE-TEST AGRICULTURE EDUCATION AND THE FUTURE OF OUR PROGRAM1. What is beyond the
doors of my classroom? Is there really life out there? 

2. Is anyone really interested in what I do? 

3. Does anyone really care about the future of agriculture? 

4. Do people care about the future of our youth? 

5. How can I improve my classroom and laboratory? 

6. Is there any way to gain academic as well as financial support? 

7. How do I provide learning experiences for my students regardless of the size of my community or
school? 

8. My students are not wealthy; what can I do to help them see the world? 

9. Is there a way to improve the quality of education in my classroom? 

10. Am I really supposed to do all of this alone?