Educating consumers is focus of Medford ag ed
By Janet Kubat Willette
jkubat@agrinews.com
Date Modified: 05/27/2010 9:35 AM
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MEDFORD, Minn. — In 10 years, the Medford High School agricultural education program has grown from 60 to 70 students taking an ag class to 220 students taking ag classes, said instructor Tim Larson.
A second instructor, Chris Ovrebo, has been added at the 380 student seventh through 12th grade high school.
The FFA chapter has grown, sending nine contest teams to the 81st Minnesota State FFA Convention in April, Larson said. Chapter member Kyle Bohrer was named the State Star in Agri Science.
Being in a kindergarten through grade 12 building gives the Medford FFA and ag program unique opportunities, said Larson, a Medford native. When a stool breaks, it goes to the ag program to be fixed and the students autograph their repairs. Cub Scouts come to the ag department to have their Pinewood Derby cars cut on the bandsaw. Eighth graders enrolled in an ag class spend time in the school kitchen learning about how the food is prepared, where it is purchased, serving sizes, how much it costs and what part of the cost they pay. Seventh graders build birdhouses in their ag class.
The efforts of Larson and Ovrebo and indeed the entire Medford community were recognized last year when the program earned the Minnesota Outstanding Secondary/Middle School Agricultural Program award from the Minnesota Association of Agricultural Educators.
Larson was also named the Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation 2009 FFA Adviser of the Year.
The Medford agricultural education program doesn't focus on educating future farmers, it focuses on educating future consumers. Not everyone will farm, but everyone will be a consumer, Larson said.
They also talk about the many career possibilities in agriculture. Not only is there production agriculture, but there are also marketing, communication and transportation careers in agriculture.
Medford High School doesn't have an industrial arts program nor a family and consumer science program, so those topics are taught in agricultural education courses, Larson said. In addition, they teach a required senior economics class.
They teach a broad spectrum of topic areas in agricultural education, he said.
This is the first year Medford is sending a team to the state Envirothon, with the five-member team earning a berth by placing third in the region.
The chapter also operates a greenhouse, with 50 percent to 60 percent of the projects going out the door as student projects or thank yous.