Putnam County Schools have purchased a new post-frame barn to install at Upperman High School for the school’s agriculture program.
Putnam County Schools CTE Supervisor Jackie Vester said the 1,700 square foot barn will cost an estimated $76,000 and will be paid for through a grant. Vester said the barn will be used to house livestock on campus and give students a brand new experience.
“More of our students are getting further and further displaced from the farm,” Vester said. “And so understaind the skills that go into the production of agriculture will help them, even if their career goal is to be more of an advocate for agriculture.”
Vester said she expects to break ground on the barn this Spring. Vester said the livestock that will be housed in the barn will be left to the discretion of the agriculture teachers.
“I could see a rotation of some livestock,” Vester said. “So students that are maybe showing livestock, could you know, have a place to keep their livestock during season when they are traveling to show. There are a lot of opportunities there.”
Vester said the hope is that the barn will attract more students to Upperman’s Agriculture Program. Vester said that Putnam County Schools continue to provide agriculture learning opportunities.
“At the very least, our students need to know where our food supply comes from,” Vester said. “And the more they are educated on that, the more they can make good decisions in the future, even if that’s just being a citizen who is going to the election booth. They are just able to understand the issues that are out there with agriculture, and they can contribute to that because, you know, eating is part of our daily lives, and we need that production of agriculture to make that happen.”
Vester said this is the second year of the Innovative School Models Grant. Vester said other structures have been built at other schools to grow learning opportunities and referred to the commercial greenhouse that was built a few years ago at Monterey High School. Vester said the school system would love to provide state-of-the-art equipment for all CTE courses.