What If We Celebrated Future Agriculturalists?

A little over a year ago, I stepped into a classroom at Cross Creek High School as a long-term agriculture substitute teacher.

I expected to spend my time teaching horticulture, supporting FFA, and helping students prepare for careers in agriculture.

What I didn't expect was how much the experience would change the way I think about workforce development.

Many of my students were curious about agriculture, but not all of them saw themselves becoming traditional farmers. Some were interested in landscaping. Others liked business, technology, culinary arts, environmental science, photography, or social media. Several simply wanted a career that would allow them to stay in Augusta and build a good life.

That experience challenged me to think beyond the traditional agriculture pathway.

What if agriculture education also embraced urban agriculture? Digital storytelling? Food entrepreneurship? Agritourism? GIS mapping? Drones? Marketing? Community gardens? Farmers markets? Data analytics? Content creation?

Agriculture is already connected to all of those things.

In 2025, Georgia launched Teach in the Peach, a statewide initiative that celebrates students choosing careers in education. Watching future teachers publicly recognized for their commitment made me wonder:

What if we did something similar for agriculture?

Not because agriculture lacks career opportunities.

Quite the opposite.

Georgia's largest industry touches nearly every part of our daily lives, yet many young people never hear someone say, "You could build your future here."

I'm not talking about another career fair.

I'm talking about a moment.

A celebration.

A public commitment that says agriculture matters - and the students choosing these careers matter too.

Imagine graduating seniors standing beside local farmers, chefs, conservationists, nursery owners, Extension agents, entrepreneurs, landscape professionals, agriculture teachers, and food innovators. Instead of signing a letter to play a sport, they sign a commitment to pursue a future in agriculture, food systems, natural resources, or agricultural education.

Some would head to college.

Some to technical education.

Some directly into the workforce.

Some might even launch businesses of their own.

The point wouldn't be the destination.

The point would be recognizing the decision.

As I began researching the idea, I learned there are already excellent programs introducing students to agriculture. Georgia's agriculture education community, FFA, Farm Bureau, the Georgia Foundation for Agriculture, and many others are doing important work to build awareness and opportunity.

Our question is slightly different.

How do we celebrate the students who are saying "yes" to agriculture?

How do we make those choices visible?

How do we help younger students see that agriculture isn't only about production farming? It's also business, technology, health, conservation, education, communications, logistics, culinary arts, and entrepreneurship.

That question feels especially important as Augusta prepares for the future.

The planned Josey High School College & Career Academy has the potential to reshape how students think about workforce pathways. While our team has no plans to launch an agriculture signing event anytime soon, we believe this is exactly the kind of idea worth developing carefully over the next few years.

Rather than rushing to create another annual event, we'd rather spend the time building the right partnerships, listening to educators, learning from students, and understanding what employers actually need.

If the timing is right, perhaps this conversation grows into something meaningful around 2028.

Or perhaps it becomes something even better than we're imagining today.

Agriculture has taught me that the best ideas grow the same way healthy crops do.

You prepare the soil.

You plant intentionally.

You nurture consistently.

Then you let time do its work.

For now, we're simply asking the question.

What would happen if Augusta celebrated future agriculturalists with the same pride we celebrate future athletes, scholars, and educators?

I think that conversation is worth having.

And I believe it has the potential to grow into something that helps the next generation see agriculture not simply as our past - but as one of Augusta's most promising futures.