Franklin Community High School agriculture students, teachers and FFA members have a vision for a nine-acre plot of land north of the high school that’s been empty since the school opened its doors in 2007.
School administrators have worked with the FFA and the school’s agriculture teacher to transform that space into a miniature farm that could one day have not only crops and vegetables, but an orchard and a pasture for livestock. The school board voted earlier in March to start the first phase of the project.
This spring and summer, students will begin working on the soil and start growing vegetables.
The first phase of the project, consisting of a vegetable garden and row crops — predominantly soybeans — will cost $7,000 to $8,000. That funding will come from Franklin’s FFA Alumni Association, donations and greenhouse vegetable sales, said Kent Grose, FFA Alumni Association president.
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A second phase, if all goes as planned, would add a fruit orchard, while a third would section off part of the land for Christmas trees and a barn, along with larger areas for vegetable production and the orchard.
In the third phase, crop land would be mixed with a pasture for animals, according to a presentation made to the school board.
While the first phase has been approved, the other two are on hold. Plans could change because Franklin schools have not yet established a funding source for those. It will be at least three years before the third phase gets off the ground, Grose said.
The project will allow students in FFA and agriculture classes at the high school to go beyond the existing greenhouse so they can practice farming techniques, such as planting and harvesting on an outdoor plot.
It will also pave the way for a future farm-to-table program that would have students eating vegetables, and potentially fruit and other produce, that comes straight from the school’s farm to students’ lunch trays, Franklin FFA adviser Tom Beckman said.
“What’s been missing is the opportunity to take some of these skills in the classroom and go a little bit farther,” Beckman said. “Certain things we can do in the animal science room, we can work with rabbits, chickens and goats, but there’s certain things we can’t do. Part of the idea is (to have) something more hands-on … and then also for some of them, it might be making it into the (Supervised Agricultural Experience) project.”
The Supervised Agricultural Experience is required for students seeking a Chapter FFA Degree, said Franklin Community High School FFA president Taylor Roy.
Qualifying experiences could include showing a calf at a county fair, assisting at a horse stable or local animal shelter, working for an agriculture insurance agency or selling picked vegetables, among others projects, according to the University of Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences.
While not all of those experiences require farm access, being steps away from one could potentially encourage students who previously hadn’t considered a Supervised Agricultural Experience to pursue one, Roy said.
“I really pushed for the farm project,” Roy said. “(Supervised Agricultural Experiences) are a huge thing in FFA."
“It’s hard to obtain an (experience) if you don’t live on a farm. You have to seek other opportunities. By having a farm, you can have access to do activities.”
Franklin Community High School agriculture teacher Alicia Geesey is looking forward to having a farm in the school’s own backyard, but she has been taking steps to ensure her students have a hands-on classroom experience even before the first seed is planted.
She brings a pony, two rabbits and three goats to class in a trailer, leading them to a small room attached to her classroom. During class, students learn the animals’ anatomies, and instead of watching a video on the subject, they can go out and see firsthand where the animals’ joints are and how they move, Geesey said.
With the upcoming farm, she hopes students will not only be able to take hands-on learning to the next level, but be more in-touch with the Franklin community. A farm at the school would also create a greater overlap between the school’s agricultural classes and its FFA program, she said.
“I’m excited to tie in classroom work to FFA,” Geesey said. “The kids can work on their (Supervised Agricultural Experience) during the school day instead of it being separate from school. I think that could easily be done with the school farm. I’m excited about connecting Franklin FFA with the community of Franklin.
"My hope would be to grow produce in the garden and sell it at the farmers market, with students talking to (people in) the community.”
