By Andi Anderson
High school students across Ohio gained hands-on experience and career exposure this summer through ExploreAg, the Ohio Farm Bureau’s signature ag literacy and workforce development program.
Funded through the Ohio Farm Bureau Foundation, ExploreAg provides free one-day, multiday, and weeklong camps that introduce students to agriculture and related STEM fields.
The camps are designed to give teens direct engagement with industry experts, scientists, and educators. Students toured facilities, ran equipment, and participated in interactive learning sessions.
At the University of Findlay camp, Mark Sunderman, CEO of Legacy Farmers Cooperative, praised the students’ curiosity and enthusiasm. “The engagement I saw from the ExploreAg students asking questions to understand and learn more about different aspects of agriculture was very impressive,” Sunderman said. “I see great value in the immense exposure the ExploreAg agenda created for the students to get a very well-rounded look at careers that are in or touch the agriculture industry.”
The program has also made a strong impact on participants. Rising sophomore Liam Joyce of Hamilton County shared that ExploreAg gave him a perspective he hadn’t experienced before.
“Unlike most of my peers I was not born into agriculture. Looking back at my week I have learned lots of valuable information… My favorite part of the week was the agricultural engineering facility where we got to run equipment I had never run before,” he said.
Students attended camps at The Ohio State University Columbus Campus, Wilmington College, the University of Findlay, and Ohio State Wooster-ATI.
These sessions helped build leadership skills, collaboration, and preparation for college and future careers. Jacob Schwendeman, a sophomore from Ashland County, said, “I really enjoyed this. I got to learn a lot about leadership, got to learn a lot about agriculture and really expand my leadership styles.”
Industry leaders also continue to back the program. Sunderman, who chairs the Ohio AgriBusiness Association Educational Trust, noted, “The Ohio Farm Bureau Foundation has provided a great pathway for high school students to explore agriculture, and we are excited to be part of the program.”
Looking ahead, ExploreAg will host three one-day camps in October, with applications due September 30 or October 10, depending on the session. Interested students can learn more through the fall program flyer.
Photo Credit: gettyimages-poike
Categories: Ohio, Education