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Taryn Tumblin, a 2024 ExploreAg camper, has been around agriculture since she was born.

The River View High School senior from Coshocton County is involved in both 4-H and FFA, where she serves as president – for both.

“I’ve been involved and surrounded by agriculture my whole life, and I help on my family’s farm taking care of the horses, cows, goats, chickens and peacocks,” she said. Yet, with all that exposure to agriculture, she said ExploreAg was an eye-opening experience for her.

“Before I went to camp, I had a vague idea that I wanted to work with horses and animals and go into veterinary medicine. This ExploreAg camp really helped to cement that idea,” she said. “It helped me to become excited about the future, and it also opened my mind to different possibilities that I could explore in college.”

Gaining self confidence was a key takeaway from the camp for Tumblin.

“At the different facilities we toured, we were told to try and ask questions, which really helped me to not be as nervous when asking adults questions, especially in front of peers,” she said. “I’m very involved in agriculture, but some of the campers who attended weren’t as involved and didn’t have agriculture/STEM-related opportunities in their county or school, and this camp really helped them to be able to see what careers are out there.”

Sammy Brown, a senior at Dublin Coffman High School in Franklin County, was one of the 2024 campers who did not have an agriculture background, but does have a love of science.

“My mom was the one who found the ExploreAg camp. At the time, I was in an AP environmental class and was enthusiastic about exploring different kinds of environmental and biological science pathways,” Brown said. “At the beginning of camp, I knew I loved life science but wasn’t sure what kind of field that love would land me in. By the end of the camp, after getting to explore different animal industries, I confidently added animal sciences to my list of potential paths. Although I wasn’t able to narrow down my career decisions, ExploreAg introduced me to another form of science I hadn’t considered before.”

Brown is currently taking an Intro to Animal Sciences course at Ohio State through College Credit Plus, which she said she may not have otherwise done without the animal science exposure during camp.

“I would recommend this camp to people who also have a strong enthusiasm for life sciences and who may struggle with social anxiety. ExploreAg encouraged me to take a step out of my safe bubble…the counselors were always super kind, understanding and supportive,” she said. “I owe a big thanks to them for making me feel more comfortable and confident during camp, it was because of their encouragement that I was eventually able to release my tension and enjoythe camp.”

Tumblin echoed those sentiments.

“I would recommend any high schooler that I know to apply to ExploreAg camp. This camp was so fun to experience and it was completely free, so it’s no cost to the campers,” she said. “(ExploreAg) was a great way to make new friends and gain confidence alike, and I wish I knew about it years before.”

To learn more and register for ExploreAg, visit exploreag.org. Applications will close April 30.

About ExploreAg

Ohio Farm Bureau’s signature ag literacy and workforce development program, ExploreAg, offers FREE week, multiday and daylong immersion programs for high school students. In ExploreAg, teens learn about agriculture and related STEM fields from industry experts, scientists and educators in a camp like no other. Apply at exploreag.org.

What ExploreAg camper Grace Hulse had to say about the experience and its impact on her future plans:

I truly believe that ExploreAg camp has changed my outlook on my future employment and other opportunities. I have almost always lived on a dairy farm and I am an active member in 4-H and in FFA. I thought I knew about most of the jobs in the agricultural field, but turns out I hadn’t even scratched the surface. Some jobs that we studied in depth were sow farm managers, auditors, grain testers and even bankers from AgCredit. I encourage anyone to go to ExploreAg camp because I know it can help you learn more, just as it helped me.