Thanks to a community that gives back, Yankton High School students have a first-hand opportunity to learn about growing crops.

Across from the high school campus in Yankton, South Dakota, there was a plot of land owned by Astec Industries, a manufacturer of specialized equipment for asphalt road building, aggregate processing and concrete production.

An area farmer rented the plot until six or seven years ago when he retired. That’s when Yankton High School Career and Technical Education teacher Brandon Wagner saw an opportunity.

“I thought it would be really great if we had something here that we could go out and put our hands on and physically see some things happening,” he said.

So school district superintendent Dr. Wayne Kindle asked Astec management if they would be willing to rent the land to the high school.

Not only was the company willing, but they went above and beyond, Wagner said, donating the rent back to the school in support of the agricultural education program.

This fall was the school’s sixth season planting the 14-acre test plot with a corn and soybean rotation. The school planted 12 varieties of corn this year with seed donated from area elevators.

“Everybody wants us to try two or three numbers,” Wagner said.

Growmark’s Yankton location takes care of the fertilizer and crop protection.

Wagner usually brings in one of his own tractors to plant in the spring. A few years ago, the school purchased a six-row planter, which Wagner said the students have worked to update by adding new gauge wheels, closing wheels and precision meters.

Titan Machinery brings in a combine, tractor and grain cart each fall, which Yankton general manager Kevin Hunhoff said is a great way to give back to the community while teaching about the importance of agriculture.

“Anything that Titan can do to be a part of that and help educate kids on agriculture, we certainly want to be a part of,” he told the Tri-State Neighbor.

While Titan helps harvest, they also educate the students about farm safety as well, he added.

Titan Machinery service manager Josh Koch was on hand driving the combine this year, and Wagner’s neighbor drove the tractor pulling the grain cart.

This year’s crop averaged over 210 bushels per acre. The plot is managed primarily with no-till, though this year they did half strip-till and applied both liquid and dry fertilizer.

An area producer has a connection with Kuhn Krause, which had the strip-till toolbar available for demonstrations. The company was looking to upgrade, so it gave the school a good deal on the older six-row demo unit. The school’s agricultural manufacturing and business class then welded the toolbars and three-point mounts.

“We wanted to see how the strip-till acres compared to the no-till acres that were broadcast fertilized,” Wagner said.

Andrew Kuchta is a Yankton High School junior who has helped with harvest since he was a freshman. He spends every weekend helping his grandpa out on his farm and hopes to one day be an agronomist, so the hands-on experience has been invaluable.

“When the different agronomists come out to help plant and to help us harvest, I got to learn the different formulas they use, what type of fertilizers to put down stuff like that,” he said.

He also loves being around the machinery and implements and learning the ins and outs of production agriculture.

“It’s amazing,” he said.

The project serves as an introduction to farming for many of the students who don’t have a direct connection to agriculture. Wagner estimated that only 5-10% of his class come from family farms, 40-45% have a grandparent or close family member involved in production agriculture, and the other half have no close ties to anyone in farming.

“That's our goal, to make sure that we illustrate there's way more people involved with an agricultural system than just the person putting seed in the ground,” Wagner said.

The classes talk about software and data points and note that it’s often a different person doing the technical work than the one planting and harvesting.

Elly Daisy, a Yankton High School alumnae, who is now a crop insurance agent, visits the class to talk about crop protection. Daisy didn’t come from a farming background or plan to work in agriculture, but after a career crunching numbers in a cubicle, she found herself wanting to take a different direction in life.

As a a crop insurance officer with Farm Credit Services in Yankton, she now hopes to be an inspiration to help students find a career that’ a good mix of their passions and natural abilities. Agriculture is constantly evolving, and it provides an array of career opportunities, Daisy said.

“I don’t have the first-hand experience as many in the industry do, but that didn’t deter me from following that passion and aligning it with my education and ability,” she said.

Community involvement and donations are vital to the Yankton High School project because selling the harvested crops is Yankton FFA’s only fundraiser for the year, Wagner said. With all the input and equipment donations, the sale of the crop goes a long way. He’s grateful to have such a supportive community.

“We’ve had a lot of community support to get the job done,” Wagner said.