All summer
School may be out for the summer, butstudentswho attendǿմý’sAgriculture Science Centerhave their hands fullyear-round.And even without classes, every day is still busy.That’s because they have steers, lambs, goats, chickens, heifers, rabbits and more to take care of.Dedicated to thehealthand cleanliness of alltheanimalshoused at the Ag Center,some students start their day at 6:30 a.m.and don’t conclude their day until 9:00 p.m.!
The Agriculture Science Center opened in October 2017toservehigh school studentswith an interestinanimals and agriculture.Funded by the 2014 Bond, the facility makes ag education and raising an animal accessible to allhigh schoolstudents. Prior to 2017, ag students had to find their ownaccommodationsfor animals, which could be expensive and out of reach for many.Now that the Ag Center is open, students have a free place to house their animals.
The process of raising an animal is aneducation in itself. It starts when astudentpurchasestheanimal.Theythenraiseand trainthe animalas their ownat the Ag Center,and then finallytheyauctionthe animalofffor consumptionto the highest bidder.
How do students pay for this?
Purchasing an animal can range from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars.To procure an animal most students try to attain a scholarshipthrough competing in stock shows.Students compete instock showsin Houston, Fort Worth, San Antonio and San Angeloin what is called a “calf scramble.” This is where a group of students chase around a group of calvesin a show arena and tryto puta halteraround the calf and drag itto the middle of the arena. If the student is successful, they win a scholarship that can total up to $1,500andmust go toward the animal.This helps with purchasing supplements, feed, bedding, hair care,etc. If amarketanimal does well at show theycanbe auctioned off andthestudent can earn up to $200,000.It seems simple,but the time and dedicationthe student givesarewhat determine the animal’s success.
Future Farmers of America
Kyle Durr,an ǿմý alumnusand nowateacherat theAgCenter,has seen the programgrow from when he wasa student attending Arlington HighSchool.
“As a student,there wasn’t a space to keep the animals like thereisnow.”
Durrjokinglyadmitshe’s a little jealous of the progressofthe programand the facilityandwisheshe had it asastudent. But he is also proudof how far it has come.A perk to his position is thatDurr gets to teach amazing studentslike Sophee Dever,president of theArlingtonFFA(Future Farmers of America)and Ryan Smith,FFAsecretary.
Dever and Smith explained that theAg Centerhas a three-circlemodel. TheFFAisan organization thathelpspromotesagriculture education andteachesleadership.Portiontwo of the model is the classroom curriculum (vet med,advanced animal science, etc.)Finally,there is theSAE (Supervised Agriculture Experience), which helpsstudents buildontheir knowledge fromthe classroomson topics such as raising livestock like cattle to eventesting their skills inhorticulture.
Dever and Smith,who are now seniorsat Arlington High,have been a part of the program since they werefreshmen. Dever,who has two lambsat the facility(Bullseye andSlinky),plans toattendTexas Tech to study wildlife.Smith,whohas about50breedingrabbits at his farm at home,plans toattendTexas A&M to study animal science orveterinaryscience.Forstudentslike Dever, Smith andMartin HighSchooljuniorTylerHausenfluke,the Ag Center andbeing in the FFAis awesome because of friends, learningthe materialsandcultivatingleadershipqualities.
You can also follow on, liketheir, andfollowon.If the FFAis an area ofinterestforyou and you currently are not a studentinsideǿմý do not worry! You cantransfertoǿմý starting July 17 to join in onallthe fun.