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Sixty-six students in grades 7-12 took part in informative presentations and hands-on activities at the John Deere Training Center in Plain City Dec. 6 as part of the ExploreAg program, which exposes students to the many careers in agriculture. At this ExploreAg Experience, participants learned about the many career opportunities with John Deere, Ag Pro and JD Tech while performing hands-on activities with precision agriculture.

Students received an overview of John Deere and careers, then toured the John Deere facility. Activities included working with the electric required for machinery to run, a live look at what the farmer experiences in a sprayer, and an observation of the technology required for automation in combines.

ExploreAg is funded through the Ohio Farm Bureau Foundation’s Fisher Fund for Lifelong learning, meaning there is no cost for students to participate. Students interested in keeping up to date on upcoming programs should follow ExploreAg on Instagram or on Facebook.

Registration is now open for 2020 ExploreAg Camps

Students will interact with and learn directly from teachers, scientists and researchers. Subject areas include food science, precision agriculture, animal science, natural resources, management skills, technology, and agricultural business. In addition to the classroom experience, scholars will participate in field experiences that highlight cutting-edge research and meet industry partners to provide a glimpse of various careers in related fields. There will also be sessions focused on soft skills such as interviewing, resume building and public speaking to prepare participants for the workforce. Flyer

Session 1: June 14-19 – Ohio State University, Columbus Campus

Session 2: June 21-26 – Ohio State University, Columbus Campus

Session 3: July 5-10 – Central State University 

Session 4: July 12-17 – Ohio State University – ATI campus in Wooster

The ExploreAg camps are free to attend. Program costs covered include on-campus accommodations, meals, staffing, course supplies, program materials and transportation. Supervision is provided at all times by faculty, staff, and program counselors who are current college students in related majors.

The deadline to apply is March 6, 2020, and applicants will be notified of admittance by March 20, 2020.  Applicants will be asked to submit an application with one reference and a 1-3 minute video with the prompt: “Please tell us about one agricultural career and why that interests you.” The application can be found at exploreag.org. Contact OSU Extension Educator Marissa Mulligan for more information.