High School Students Gain Hands-On Training in Ag-Related Fields at Montcalm Area Career Center in Michigan
In partnership with: Michigan Department of Agriculture & Rural Development
As a kid whose family raised livestock and maintained a large garden, Lauren Gorsuch thought she knew a lot about agriculture, until she enrolled in the agriscience program at Montcalm Area Career Center (MACC) in Sidney, Michigan.
MACC is a vocational center where high school students receive specific training in various program areas, including agriscience. Instructor Amanda Sturm guides students through a curriculum focused on animal science, soil conservation horticulture and veterinary medicine in a
real-world lab.
“Our students raise chickens from birth to processing, they breed rabbits and learn about that life cycle, and we get salmon eggs every year and raise them to the point of release,” says Shannon Tripp, MACC associate superintendent of CTE (career and technical education)/Early College. “We have a beautiful greenhouse, and along with that learning, our students give back to the community with seed giveaways and by doing a plant sale with proceeds going to charity.”
See more: FARM Crates Provide Ag-Related Lessons for Michigan Students
Supporting the Future of Ag at Montcalm Area Career Center
Tripp says people often don’t realize the high level of training MACC agriscience students receive.
“There is a misconception that students going to MACC aren’t going to college,” says Tripp, noting about 68% of their students do go on to higher education. “Our students are job-ready when they complete our program, and they’ve also learned about the huge list of opportunities available to them in the ag industry.
Sturm advises Montcalm County’s only FFA chapter, based at MACC.
“We did leadership contests, had opportunities for public speaking and a lot of professional-level skills in FFA as well as learning about the ag industry,” says Gorsuch, the first state-level FFA officer from Montcalm County currently serving as sentinel. “The biggest part of the job is serving on a team with
11 other officers.”
The officers visit FFA chapters around the state, run conferences, plan and run the state convention, and attend national conventions. A recent graduate of Vestaburg High School, Gorsuch is taking a year in FFA service before attending taxidermy school in fall 2024.
“I thought I knew a lot about agriculture, but the agriscience program and my FFA experiences have taught me just how diverse agriculture is,” Gorsuch says. “There were so many areas I knew nothing about, and I’ve gotten to see hands-on how it’s done.”
To learn more about the Montcalm Area Career Center, visit maisd.com.