Indiana’s agriculture education program is continuing to expand and the Grow With Us initiative is being fostered to support that. The initiative combines classroom education, work-based learning, and leadership opportunities to create a beneficial experience for everyone in agriculture education programs. A press conference for Grow With Us was hosted at the high school on Nov. 20, where many state FFA leaders spoke about their perspective on the initiative, including Indiana Lieutenant Governor Suzanne Crouch.
Crouch also serves as Secretary of Agriculture for the state and oversees the Department of Agriculture, which involves supporting future leaders. After being surrounded by agriculture consistently in her childhood, she served on the first water conservation board that was founded in the state of Indiana which gave her a deeper appreciation of agriculture. When she became Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Agriculture, that interest in agriculture was magnified.
“Agriculture is a big business,” Crouch said. “[Indiana is] the seventh largest agriculture export in the country, so we need to ensure that it continues by developing and supporting, through initiatives and programs like Grow With Us, our young leaders of tomorrow through FFA.”
Principal Reggie Simmons spoke at the press conference about how he has seen agriculture education impact the school. This included awards recently won by the school’s FFA chapter as well as a grant that the program recently received. His personal experiences with agriculture are important to him so that he can help foster the program in the district he works for.
“My twin grandsons who attend Brooks School Elementary bring home tomatoes from the garden at their school,” Simmons said in his speech. “Who knows, by the seeds planted in them, this may inspire them to do FFA when they become high schoolers.”
Members of leadership of the school branch attended the press conference to see how the Grow With Us initiative will affect their experience in agriculture education.
“I think we are so privileged,” branch Sentinel Callen Johnson said. “We get a lot of opportunities for our FFA chapter and I think this new initiative is going to help a lot of people who may not have those same opportunities.”
While this press conference was hosted by Hamilton Southeastern in light of recent achievements, representatives from across the state traveled to share how this initiative will affect their programs. South Putnam Middle School and High School FFA Advisor Cameron Frazier addressed the deep importance of this initiative-making agriculture education available and meaningful to every student in the state of Indiana, regardless of direct contact with agriculture.
“Agriculture Education is truly a place for every single student, no matter where they come from, what their background is, where they are going, or even their interests,” Frazier said. “ FFA and the agriculture education program is truly for every single student if they take that opportunity.”