Now, more than ever, agricultural education is essential to protecting the future of America’s food supply. As farmers age and the number of farms declines, we need to recruit the next generation of youth interested in ag careers. Agriculture classes have long been a part of the nation’s middle and high school curriculum, teaching essential career-development skills. Unfortunately, not every school offers these opportunities. Whether because of insufficient facilities, limited staff, or other challenges, many students who wish to learn more about agriculture can’t do so through traditional means. In these cases, a number of other opportunities are available for them to explore.
Extracurriculars
According to the National 4-H History Preservation Program, in the late 1800s, public universities were working on new agricultural technologies, including developing hybrid seed corn, improving milking sanitation, and documenting better home-canning procedures. However, people who’d been farming for a while were often reluctant to give up traditional practices for new developments coming from these university campuses. Conversely, youth were interested in learning more and would take this knowledge they gained as they moved into larger roles on the farm. In 1902, A.B. Graham started a youth program in Clark County, Ohio, to formally accommodate the transfer of this type of knowledge to youth. This is generally considered the birth of 4-H. Originally, 4-H’ers attended meetings to learn more about new agricultural practices. Over time, this developed to include specific projects the youth would investigate, write up, and share.
Each 4-H project, typically in the form of a book or binder, covers one educational area. Though they were once all firmly rooted in agriculture, modern projects can explore a more diverse range of topics, including animal science; global connections; natural resources; science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM); healthy living; foods and nutrition; and more. Each 4-H member is generally required to complete and present at least one project each year to a judge either at a fair or during an interview, but the organization has much more to offer. Members also attend regular club meetings and have opportunities to become a club officer, participate in learning activities, assist in community service, or hear from guest speakers. Additionally, members can get involved in camps, trips, contests, and leadership events at the local, state, and national level. With a variety of ways to participate, agriculture becomes accessible to far more youth than just those who are growing up on farms, including kids growing up in urban areas.
Future Farmers of America (FFA) is another organization with a lot to offer. After the Smith-Hughes National Vocational Education Act established agricultural high school courses in 1917, the Future Farmers of Virginia, a club for boys in such classes, was created. This later evolved into what’s now known as the National FFA Organization. Today, all FFA members participate in a Supervised Agricultural Experience. This could include working in an agricultural job, operating a small-scale ag business, conducting agricultural research, or another similar project. Additionally, FFA members can participate in Career and Leadership Development Events. There are currently 25 different annual contests, including veterinary science, agricultural sales, floriculture, forestry, livestock evaluation, public speaking, and more. Like 4-H’ers, FFA members can become officers in their chapters, or even at the state or national level. They can also attend state and national conventions, camps, and community-service events.
Participating in a fair is another great way to access agriculture. 4-H and FFA members, as well as participants in Scouting America, Grange, Farm Bureau, and Camp Fire, can participate in Junior Fair. This gives them the ability to exhibit animals and other projects at county or state fairs. They can also join their county’s Junior Fair Board and help plan the fairs, run the shows, and more. Participation in 4-H and FFA directly correlates to involvement in agriculture later in life. I personally conducted a survey made available to both current members and alumni of 4-H and FFA. Out of 110 respondents, 64.8% work on, live on, or own a farm. Additionally, 74.3% work or plan to work in an agricultural career.
Agritourism
Agritourism refers to any opportunity that allows the general public to see agricultural processes in action. Some common examples include camping or otherwise exploring a farm, visiting a corn maze or pick-your-own opportunities, touring a feed mill, and more. These activites provide hands-on connections with ag where participants get to learn more from those who know the industry best and find their own spark. Just like going to a museum could spark interest in history, or going to the zoo could make a child love animals, visiting agricultural facilities presents attendees with a positive view that may inspire them to learn more, or even pursue a career in agriculture.
Social Media
With social media’s increasing popularity, agriculture is slowly but surely getting more eyes on it. Teens often make “agvocacy” accounts to teach others about agricultural practices or policies. Farmers share videos of a day in their life: cleaning pens, fixing equipment, or working with livestock. Ag businesses likewise post their products or services. Social media has proven to be an outlet for those in the industry to get creative and share their passion with the world. As the public consumes this media, they can empathize and connect with farmers, whose lives aren’t so different from theirs, after all. This can inspire those who wouldn’t otherwise be exposed to ag and can change their outlook. It doesn’t end on Facebook or Instagram. TV, the local news, and magazines (such as this one) can also provide an inside look at farming.
Youth in Ag Spotlight: Annikah Self
With a true heart for agriculture, Annikah has been a member of 4-H in Pike County, Georgia, for nine years, and she’s also served as a 4-H camp counselor. She’s a five-year member of the Pike County High School FFA Chapter, where she’s currently serving as her chapter’s vice president. Through FFA, she’s competed in several Career Development Events, and she shares that veterinary science is her favorite. For the veterinary science event, she identified numerous animal breeds and the surgical equipment that would be used to treat them, and she demonstrated one of eight different veterinary practices she’d learned, such as placing a dog or cat in lateral recumbency or putting on a muzzle. For her Supervised Agricultural Experience, she organized and led a field trip for second graders. This involved creating stations for the kids to rotate through, where they learned more about how agriculture affects their daily lives. With this experience, children not only learned about FFA and the opportunities it offers, but also experienced science and agriculture topics more generally. Annikah strongly believes in raising public awareness of all areas of agriculture. Follow along with Annikah’s work on Instagram (@AnnieTalksAg), where she educates the public about agriculture by showcasing her own experiences.
Sara Bailey is an Ohio 4-H’er who’s passionate about exploring the future of agriculture. She’s currently studying at The Ohio State University as an animal sciences major and plans to one day pursue a career as a livestock and equine veterinarian.
Originally published in the November/December 2025 issue of Grit magazine and regularly vetted for accuracy.
