Waking up cheerfully to the sun and following it through the day, the field of sunflowers planted by Jacob Jones, a junior at Wellington High School, is a sight to behold.
"It looks great," said John Wells, agricultural education instructor and Future Farmers of America (FFA) advisor. "So many people are commenting on it. I want to ask him to plant some next year because everyone loves them."
Planted last summer, the field looks close to full maturity and will be harvested this fall. Driving behind the school, parents and students can admire the field of flowers as a forefront to the city’s skyline.
Jones decided to farm the high school's land as part of his FFA Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE), where students independently work on an agricultural project outside of class. He had help from his uncle, Jeff Schmidt.
"The purpose is so students can apply the knowledge they learn in the classroom to a project they work on outside of the classroom," Wells said. "Some will work in a greenhouse, mow yards and perform upkeep, or one student helps his family doing repairs on rentals."
There are no requirements as to the amount of time a student spends on their project.
"Some spend only a couple of hours and some are quite lengthy," Wells said.
Jones spent approximately ten hours discing and cultivating, 4-5 hours planting, a few hours checking to make sure the field isn't getting eaten by insects and he will spend approximately nine hours harvesting.
The school’s 35-acre plot of land is available to any student who has the ability to farm it. The school does not provide the equipment or the crop. Wells refers to Jones' type of project as a "Crop Production Entrepreneurship." The student absorbs the seed costs, fuel and crop insurance. If a fellow student helps out, by driving a tractor, for example, he is considered a "placement" and is paid as an employee by the entrepreneur.
Jones used 30 of the acres for his sunflower crop. The original plan was to plant Sedan grass - to be swathed and bailed - but the window on that crop was closed due to the amount of rain. Normally, the school will keep livestock in the field in the summer and the horticulture class uses it for grass plots. Wells would like to see a barn added and they hope for more outdoor classroom experiences.
Jones will use his uncle’s John Deere Tractor to harvest the field. He hasn't decided on a co-op to take it to yet, but the seeds will be sold by the pound as a cash crop. The seeds will be used mainly for sunflower oil.
Even though Jones has had experience farming - he comes from a family known for farming hay and raising pigs and cattle - he is proud of his crop.
"I learned to keep good records through the class," he said.
"The expenses weren't too bad and yes, I will profit. Getting that check will make it worth it," he added.
According to the National FFA Organization, their mission is to make a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education.
|
|
|
Waking up cheerfully to the sun and following it through the day, the field of sunflowers planted by Jacob Jones, a junior at Wellington High School, is a sight to behold.
"It looks great," said John Wells, agricultural education instructor and Future Farmers of America (FFA) advisor. "So many people are commenting on it. I want to ask him to plant some next year because everyone loves them."
Planted last summer, the field looks close to full maturity and will be harvested this fall. Driving behind the school, parents and students can admire the field of flowers as a forefront to the city’s skyline.
Jones decided to farm the high school's land as part of his FFA Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE), where students independently work on an agricultural project outside of class. He had help from his uncle, Jeff Schmidt.
"The purpose is so students can apply the knowledge they learn in the classroom to a project they work on outside of the classroom," Wells said. "Some will work in a greenhouse, mow yards and perform upkeep, or one student helps his family doing repairs on rentals."
There are no requirements as to the amount of time a student spends on their project.
"Some spend only a couple of hours and some are quite lengthy," Wells said.
Jones spent approximately ten hours discing and cultivating, 4-5 hours planting, a few hours checking to make sure the field isn't getting eaten by insects and he will spend approximately nine hours harvesting.
The school’s 35-acre plot of land is available to any student who has the ability to farm it. The school does not provide the equipment or the crop. Wells refers to Jones' type of project as a "Crop Production Entrepreneurship." The student absorbs the seed costs, fuel and crop insurance. If a fellow student helps out, by driving a tractor, for example, he is considered a "placement" and is paid as an employee by the entrepreneur.
Jones used 30 of the acres for his sunflower crop. The original plan was to plant Sedan grass - to be swathed and bailed - but the window on that crop was closed due to the amount of rain. Normally, the school will keep livestock in the field in the summer and the horticulture class uses it for grass plots. Wells would like to see a barn added and they hope for more outdoor classroom experiences.
Jones will use his uncle’s John Deere Tractor to harvest the field. He hasn't decided on a co-op to take it to yet, but the seeds will be sold by the pound as a cash crop. The seeds will be used mainly for sunflower oil.
Even though Jones has had experience farming - he comes from a family known for farming hay and raising pigs and cattle - he is proud of his crop.
"I learned to keep good records through the class," he said.
"The expenses weren't too bad and yes, I will profit. Getting that check will make it worth it," he added.
According to the National FFA Organization, their mission is to make a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education.
