Big-City Students Receive Top-Level Agricultural Education in Florida Schools
In partnership with: Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
Access to agricultural education is expanding for Florida students – even those who live in densely populated urban areas.
As a result, Florida’s young people are gaining the knowledge they need to become informed consumers. Many of them take that knowledge a step further, using it to pursue work in the state’s agriculture sector after finishing their education.
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“In more rural areas, agriculture is typically part of students’ school curriculum – as well as in their local economy – so they are pretty familiar with ag and have at least a basic understanding of where their food comes from,” says Terra Redditt, a development representative with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. “However, that’s not usually the case in big cities, so it’s important for those students to be exposed to agriculture and the wide variety of career opportunities available in the industry.”
“I would not be in the career I’m in now if it wasn’t for ag education. Not only did I learn about agriculture, but I also learned leadership and public speaking skills and I was pushed out of my comfort zone.”
Kaitlin Vickers, program specialist with Florida Department of Education
The Veterinary Animal Sciences Magnet program at Orlando’s Colonial High School is a perfect example of how impactful and life-changing ag education can be for students living in cities. Home to a land lab covering about 1.5 acres, Colonial High School allows agriculture students to grow their own plants and build raised garden beds. Those who are in the school’s FFA chapter can even raise livestock on the property.
“Our facilities aren’t perfect or the biggest or most impressive, but for many students, this is the only way they’ll get hands-on experience in agriculture,” says Caela Paioff, a former Florida FFA State Secretary. Paioff currently teaches agricultural and animal sciences at Colonial High School and serves as one of the FFA advisors at the school.
Several of Paioff’s pupils have gone on to pursue careers in agriculture, including two students who started raising goats for their Supervised Agricultural Experience project in FFA. Five years later, they have created a thriving business based on what they learned.
“Those students are now raising and selling goats to other agriculture programs in our area,” Paioff says. “It’s amazing to think they started a production agriculture endeavor right here in our land lab and took it with them when they graduated.”
Kaitlin Vickers, a program specialist with the Florida Department of Education, is another urban ag success story. Growing up in Palmetto, Vickers fell in love with agriculture at school and found her niche in FFA. Today, she is the Florida FFA State Advisor.
“I would not be in the career I’m in now if it wasn’t for ag education,” Vickers says. “Not only did I learn about agriculture, but I also learned leadership and public speaking skills and I was pushed out of my comfort zone. It helped me become who I am today.”