Where are students learning about agriculture and farming? Thanks to the efforts of  two dedicated teachers, agriculture students can now be found in a somewhat unexpected urban setting. Columbus City Schools had FFA chapters in two career centers during the 1980s and 90s, but the buildings are now closed. Two years ago, Horticulture instructor Mary Ann Shrum and Bioscience Technology instructor Pam Snyder revitalized a chapter, creating a new group at the Fort Hayes Career… Read More

More than 150 Ohio Career Tech administrators and teachers were introduced to 21st century agriculture during the annual conference for the Association of Career Technical Educators, held at the Easton Hilton in Columbus, July 30-31. The audience learned about the GrowNextGen (GNG) website and its features: curriculum created by Ohio teachers, eLearning courses and networking capabilities to connect educators, soybean industry professionals, and students doing research. During the event, attendees viewed a career video about… Read More

GrowNextGen (GNG) offers curriculum in a number of subject areas including agriscience, biology/bioscience, chemistry, and environmental science, and more. All the curriculum is developed by Ohio science, chemistry and agriscience instructors, and new additions are made regularly. This article highlights two of the new units that Rachel Sanders, a science instructor at the Global Impact STEM Academy, has developed to connect science in the classroom with the real world. “Here FIshy, Fishy” In the “Here… Read More

For many young farmers, operating the family farm isn’t their only job. They may be working off the farm, raising a family and participating in their community organizations. Some like Andy Wentling, a third generation farmer from Stark County, also find time in their busy schedules to take on leadership roles in agriculture. Working by day as a Service Manager for the local Bobcat dealership, Andy is also part owner of Wentling Farms, LLC. Andy… Read More

The viability of the U.S. soybean industry, and the profitability of the American soybean farmer, is not only a function of abundant supply and increasing demand, it also is dependent upon having connectivity between supply and demand. America’s system of roads, bridges, highways, railroads, navigable waterways, and ports allows the production of soybean farmers to access customers around the world and has resulted in the U.S. soybean industry achieving the reputation of being the most… Read More