Tennessee 4-H and FFA Are Cultivating Future Farmers
In partnership with: Tennessee Department of Agriculture
Knox Rogers has been growing and selling his own produce for nearly 10 years – an astounding accomplishment for a 17-year-old. He’s the fifth generation on McAlister & Rogers Farms in Lincoln County, growing corn, soybeans and sweet potatoes, plus a variety of vegetables sold wholesale to stores and warehouses and at produce auctions. He raises turnip greens and turnips for produce markets and 28 grocery stores in Alabama and sells to consumers from the family farm.
See more: Tennessee 4-H and FFA Provide Exceptional Opportunities For Youth
Even with his considerable experience, Rogers says he was excited and impressed at the first Tennessee Future Farmer Conference in 2024 held in Doyle.
At the four-day event, 30 high school students interested in production agriculture visited an area sod farm, poultry farm, row crop farms and an agritourism operation. In addition, industry experts led sessions on personal finance, risk management and business planning for success.
See more: Growing Ag Education in Tennessee
For Rogers, the diversity among the agriculture operations and the financial focus were key takeaways from the conference organized by Tennessee FFA.
“For the group of kids there, we were so excited to be talking about finances,” he says. “And it was amazing touring the other farms to see kids my age farming.”
Tennessee 4-H and FFA Are Planting Seeds of Success
Tennessee State FFA Director Ryan Inman says conference organizers sought to help aspiring agriculturalists better develop themselves for the future.
“The goal of Tennessee FFA is not only to prepare leaders but to equip the next generation of agriculturalists,” Inman says. “Ag is a vast industry, but our farmers and ranchers are at the core. It’s so important to give our students who want to farm the tools they need, helping them understand the value of diversification, the financial pieces, the support system and the network that’s out there.”
Another key point, planning for the future, was one of several sessions presented by Farm Credit Mid-America, the conference’s premier sponsor.
See more: 4-H and FFA Set Youth Up for Success
“We’re greatly indebted to Farm Credit Mid-America for its sponsorship,” Inman says.
The conference helped Rogers gain confidence for his future in agriculture on his family farm.
“It really gave me a perspective that we could find a place in ag to fit in and that there was a place for us in keeping the traditions alive,” he says.
Starting Young
Tennessee 4-H seeks to train the next generation of farmers, ranchers, ag entrepreneurs, researchers and scientists by starting when students are young. In many Tennessee schools, 4-H is integrated into the classroom beginning in fourth grade and offered in after-school programs and activities.
Through Tennessee 4-H and the University of Tennessee Extension, the Tennessee Youth Animal Science program provides educational opportunities for youth to develop animal skills and knowledge in nine different projects ranging from swine to companion animals, says UT Department of Animal Science head Neal Schrick, Ph.D.
Schrick sees the long-term impact of 4-H at UT, where 70% of animal science students come from urban backgrounds.
“Some of that is because 4-H is in the classroom early, demonstrating the science of agriculture,” he says. “We put a big emphasis on precision livestock as well as basic production animal systems. Technology is the area of agriculture that is moving forward, and the youth of today are techies.”
See more: Tennessee 4-H Gives Youth Life Skills Beyond the Barn
The message is agriculture is cool, but also needed, Schrick notes.
“We are the ones responsible for providing a safe and nutritious source of food, and we’ve got to be able to do it here on less land, using less water and paying attention to greenhouse gases,” Schrick says. “The only way we will do this is through youth. As our number of farmers is decreasing, a lot of recruiting of new farmers will come from these urban kids because of their 4-H involvement.”
