Event in upstate New York introduces 1,000 students in grades 6-10 to agriculture careers

Students learned about hops at the event.

About 1,000 students in grades 6-10 in upstate New York participated in an event Wednesday that was designed to introduce them to careers in agriculture, Stephanie Sorrell-White reports for the Times Telegram in Herkimer, N.Y. "Farming Your Future" enabled students to sample four subject areas —animal science, plant science, end products and technology and equipment — featuring more than 50 exhibitors.

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Christopher Groves, director of the Schools to Career program for the Herkimer County Board of Cooperative Education Services, "said it was important to ensure Farming Your Future would resonate with students from districts where children are familiar with agriculture and from districts where that isn’t the case," Sorrell-White writes. Groves, who focuses on rural education, told her, “Today is really about exposing students to agriculture, agribusiness and agri-tourism. Certainly, the region is rich and robust in agriculture, and we need to better connect students to it. One of the terms that has been dubbed for this event is ‘where agriculture meets education,’ and that has come to life. We need to get students more involved in the agriculture field.”

Richard Hughes, superintendent of Central Valley Central School District, which had 130 students participating, said he "believed the event will leave kids 'inspired' to opportunities in the agriculture field," Sorrell-White writes. He told her, "What many people visualize as farming is much more."