Donations helps high school agriculture program grow

GLASGOW Ky. – Opportunities for the agriculture department at Barren County High School are starting to grow.

A Minnesota-based agriculture corporation called Cargill Incorporated has given the school a $3,000 donation to build a brand-new greenhouse next to the existing one.

The fact that the school was noticed by a large corporation has made staff like principal Amy Irwin overjoyed.

“It makes me very proud of our students and our teachers like Dr. Moore and our fellow agriculture  program teachers to know that we are recognized by such a large company, and that they want to invest in our students so that they get their hands on the most relevant experience in their plant science program,” Irwin said.

This is not only good news for students, but those who work in the agriculture department as well. Barren County agriculture teacher Andy Moore said he’s very thankful that Cargill sees Barren County as a good investment.

“It is a big deal when they look down at Barren County and say ‘hey, here’s somebody in our community that we can we can contribute to and maybe help their cause.’ We’re very excited and very appreciative of it,” Moore said.

A new greenhouse will bring multiple possibilities to the agriculture of Barren County, resulting in more learning space, and new ways to be innovative.

“We also have had quite a bit of conversation about implementing some of the newer technologies that the greenhouse industries have these days,” Moore said.

While completing a new greenhouse will take a long while, Moore said he’s thankful for the head start, and he’ll be ready to hit the ground running when the time comes.

“It’s a large expense upfront, but over the years, we think it’ll be beneficial, and it’ll pay for itself time and again. We can raise products, sell them to the community, and put that money back into our program so the next groups of students for years to come can benefit from that,” Moore said.