ExploreAg Program

A camp like no other

The 10-year need for workers in agribusiness occupations totals nearly 470,000. More than 90,000 of this need is in farming occupations, including agricultural managers. Source: Regionomics

The recipient of American Farm Bureau’s 2020 New Horizon Award, the ExploreAg program offers one-week long camps, weekend camps and one day experiences for high school students free of charge. Students are immersed in hands-on learning exposing them to a multitude of careers in agriculture, including those careers in STEM.

High school students interact with and learn from internationally known teachers, scientists and researchers. Students are hosted on college campuses such as Ohio State University, Wilmington College and the University of Findlay and are introduced to various aspects of agriculture both in the classroom and through diverse hands-on learning experiences.

In addition to the classroom experience, scholars will participate in field experiences that highlight cutting-edge research, and introduce industry partners, to provide scholars with a glimpse of innovative careers in related fields.

ExploreAg is more than just a camp, it’s awesome to get to see how broad agriculture is while having fun and making new friends. You end up learning a lot without it ever feeling like work. It’s an awesome opportunity to have fun, gain new friends, make valuable connections and maybe even find your lifelong career.” Zach Z.

 

2025 Fall Program Sessions Single-Day Experiences

Eastern Ohio Camp, Oct. 17
Coshocton, Ohio

Join ExploreAg for a day discovering food, agriculture, and STEM careers within Coshocton County. We will start the day at 9 a.m. and tour local businesses including Porteus Farms, Three Rivers Energy, and Pearl Valley Cheese before ending the day around 2:30 p.m. Lunch will be provided.

COLT Lineman Training Camp, Oct. 24–The camp is full. Students may add their name to the wait list.
Mount Gilead, Ohio

Meet with lineman from around the state of Ohio as you learn about your future as a lineman. Try your hand at several workstations highlighting important aspects of a lineman’s work including how to dress safely for the job, tools used while working on power lines, and how to build a crossarm, to name a few. We will start at 8:30 a.m. and end around 12 p.m. with boxed lunches available before students travel back home.

Meat Processing Camp, Oct. 28
Jeromesville, Ohio
Limit: 15 students–The camp is full. Students may add their name to the wait list.

We will be starting off bright and early at 6:30 a.m. with Heffelfinger’s Meats. Students will have an opportunity to see the entire process from start to finish on the harvest floor for pork, take a deep dive look into some of the careers within meat processing, and hear from the owner of Heffelfinger’s Meats, a meat inspector, and the Ohio Association of Meat Processors before ending the day around 12 p.m. Lunch will be provided.

2025 Fall Program Flyer

Other resources

If you interact with high school students and would like to be added to our email list when ExploreAg applications are open or updates are shared, please complete this form. This email list is ideal for educators, Extension agents, industry partners, and anyone who would like to promote ExploreAg in their community.

If you are a high school educator and would like ExploreAg to visit your classroom, please reach out to [email protected].

Future ExploreAg Camp Opportunities

If you’d like updates on future ExploreAg Camp opportunities, please sign up for our email notifications.