The Future of Mississippi Agriculture
In partnership with: Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce
Agricultural education at the high school level is an important component of preparing young people to be leaders and professionals. Some state programs have been around for more than 100 years, while others are just getting started. But whether pilot programs or storied traditions, agricultural education plays a crucial role in maintaining a vibrant agricultural economy in Mississippi. “The No. 1 job in the state of Mississippi is still agriculture,” says Dr. J.J. Morgan, superintendent of Forrest County Agricultural High School (FCAHS) in Brooklyn. Founded in 1911 and declared a historic landmark in 1996, FCAHS occupies 320 acres and serves 600 students. In addition to regular school buildings, FCAHS’s agriculture program has its own learning center – the Davis Barnes Agricultural Building – which houses classrooms, a computer lab and a shop outfitted with tools. Additional buildings include a livestock barn, poultry house, hog barn and greenhouses. “It’s a rich history and tradition here,” Morgan explains. “We are basically our own vocational department, as well as a high school, so we have everything offered right here on campus. We have tractors, sheep, goats, chickens, hogs, horses and cattle.” In fact, the cattle are part of a school-managed commercial cow-calf operation that provides one of many hands-on learning opportunities for students in the ag program. The school also boasts one of the largest and most active FFA chapters in the state. “FFA is the club that enhances ag education in the classroom,” says Mississippi State FFA President and college freshman Kayla Walters. “In 2012, we had 113 ag programs in high schools across the state. Of those, 106 had FFA chapters.” Hands-on learning and leadership development are key components of FFA, which plays an integral role in bringing classroom instruction to life through workshops, competitions and supervised agricultural experiences. “I started in FFA when I was in 4th grade. My dad was my ag teacher, so he encouraged me to do that,” Walters says. “I became a junior state officer in eighth grade. Now as state president, I get the opportunity to work as an intern with the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce for a year, and I travel the state putting on workshops and visiting FFA chapters and students, talking about FFA and agriculture. In February, during FFA week, I will get the opportunity to speak in front of the Mississippi House of Representatives and Senate” Walters contemplates becoming an ag teacher herself. “There’s a big need for ag teachers everywhere,” she says. “Without ag education in the classroom, there is no FFA.” That’s not a problem at Loyd Star Attendance Center in Brookhaven. The school has had an ag program and FFA chapter since the late 1930s. However, its pilot Agricultural and Biotechnical Academy is brand new. Starting in 2013, the academy format integrates ag education into the core curriculum schoolwide. “We’re incorporating agriculture into English, math, science and history, and we’ll be doing at least one integrated project involving all four classes each semester,” says Billy Sumrall, agricultural sciences teacher at Loyd Star. “So many people have no idea how close of a relationship agriculture has to our everyday lives. What we’re doing is teaching these students and exposing them to opportunities in the world of agriculture that they had no idea existed.” Excitement over the new academy and additional ag and biotechnology-focused classes has already more than doubled the number of students enrolled in Loyd Star’s agriculture program. Sumrall hopes the exposure through core curriculum will recruit even more.
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interested in cookbook seen on PBS TV.
I am seeking for partner in the production of rice in Liberia. Will your company join me in the producion of stable food rice. please reply as soon as possible.
Sincerely Yours,
Maxwell Z. Tody
Managing Director
Shokweh Company
Pls can this company come to. Nigeria to partner on how to plant rice and processing it in nigeria with a southern state in nigeria.i am a commodity consultant having madate on this Subject.thanks
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Where can I purchase this rice in memphis?
March 15,2016
Hello Sir
i am looking where to get a training about rice farming i am currently in the USA for 3 years after i’m going back to my home country in Cameroon to joined my younger brother who is in rice production
he has a lot of challenges farming a rice the result he has is not what he expect
Thank you for your response
sincerely yours
Proud of what you do for Arkansas and the U.S.!
My husband I are driving through the Geand Prarie in Arkansas and had no idea of the quantity of rice is grown here. Thank you for such an informational article.
I am part of a policy debate club, and the resolution this year is that the United States federal government should change it’s policy/policies for the regulation of direct industrial emissions of greenhouse gasses within the united states. My partener and I are wanting to run a case that mandates that rice paddies in the United states have to be be drained halfway through the year in order to prevent the bacteria that grows in the water from building up and emitting Methane. How would this affect the rice farmers? How much would draining the field cost? We were planning on also mandating that the farmers would be given a tax deductible to compensate for the cost of draining the paddies. Do you think this would be a good plan? If you don’t, why? This was a great article by the way. Thank you for writing it!
I want to learn more about the rice industry in Arkansas and around farmers, producers, rice types, etc. I would appreciate your kind help in this regard. By the way we are a anufacturer company that produces the rice mills and i really love Arkansas and respect with farmers.. in a near future i will be there ..
I came from South East Asia eat rice everydays and the new generation that borne here in the USA they are eating rice too but we’re can’t buy the real rice not it’s too sad rice that imported out of the USA are fake people are sick after eating the fake rice, I would be so please if you rice farmers in Arkansas please please tell me where to buy USA real rice thanks Thanks so much.
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