Parkersburg, W.Va. (Aug. 6, 2024) — Over the summer, WVU Parkersburg’s Riverhawk Farm hosted its Farm to School (F2S) Agrication program, where high school students were able to gain experience in agricultural education through immersive hands-on training with industry professionals.

The F2S Agrication program offers students, from ninth to 12th grade, the opportunity to discover different components of agriculture while getting paid for their work. The Riverhawk Farm offered students to work on the farm for two-week periods throughout the summer.

“The F2S Agrication program is essential for developing the next generation of agriculturalists,” said John Riggs, Agriculture director. “During this program, high school students learned valuable skills related to multiple industries within agricultural business. After participating in this program, students can take their newfound knowledge to work in various agricultural-related fields or start their own business.”

Melinda Francis, coordinator of the Office of Child Nutrition at the West Virginia Department of Education, visited the farm for a tour of the program and was inspired by what she saw.

“I saw an important component of Farm to School happening: Education. I watched students participate in educational activities related to agriculture and the food they consume,” said Francis. “I was able to see students in action as they harvested potatoes. It was inspiring to see students harvest potatoes with smiles on their faces while intently working both physically and mentally as they learned and understood the process.”

Adam Elder, a Parkersburg High School junior, joined the Agrication program to get experience driving tractors in order to help his father harvest their family hay fields. Elder said he had fun in the program and learned how to put up woven wire fences, compared to the barbed wire fences he puts up at home.

“I think it just kind of opened my eyes to the farming world and showed me there’s just so much more to do,” Elder said.

Gracelyn Smith, a Wirt County High School senior, signed up for the program to learn new skills to take back to her family farm. She said she loved the program and learned how to tell the difference between a plant and a weed when harvesting.

“There was a lot of hands-on work. I like that,” said Smith. “I had no idea how to harvest potatoes until now. That was very interesting.”

Funding for support of the F2S Agrication program was made possible by the West Virginia Department of Education through a USDA non-competitive State Agency Formula Grant of $56,000. Funding from the USDA non-competitive State Agency Formula Grant is intended to support efforts to coordinate and provide technical assistance to build and increase the capacity of participating institutions to procure and use local foods in program meals as well as provide agriculture education opportunities for participating children.