HAMILTON, Ga. (WRBL) – The Harris County School District has received a $5,500 grant from the Future Farmers of America for their Agriculture STEAM Farm. The award was sponsored by the Tractor Supply Company.
Funds from the grant will finance a kindling shed to raise rabbits in. The rabbits will be moved to grow out of cages and sold as a meat source for local consumers. Students at Harris County High School will build the shed, which will be 12′ by 20′, and use the program as part of their curriculum, according to the District.
Proceeds from the sales will be used as revenue to support the farm.
Students across HCSD’s K-12 classes will also be able to use the STEAM Farm as an opportunity to study rabbit behavior, nutrition, and business management. The district says students will learn principles of livestock, sustainability, and composting.
“The best way to learn is through hands-on learning, especially when it comes to the STEAM concepts. When students are interacting with a real product, they can really connect to the concepts of biology, business, and environmental science,” said Jay Borden, Harris County High School (HCHS) Ag teacher and Ag STEAM Farm coordinator.
Day to day management of the rabbitry will be performed by a student from the HCHS Work-Based Learning program who has completed the agriculture pathway.