FFA Members Experience Urban Ag in Action

For many FFA members, their experiences in the agricultural industry begin on the farm. However, programs like Fishers Agripark in Fishers, Ind., are expanding agricultural education beyond the traditional setting. 

“I grew up on a small private farm so it wasn’t until I started working for the city that I knew what the Agripark is,” says Adam Wagner, Fishers Agripark agricultural coordinator. 

During the 99th National FFA Convention and Expo, FFA members had the opportunity to tour Fishers Agripark and learn about the importance of connecting rural and urban communities. Despite being located in a major Indiana city, the 33-acre farm highlights the importance of educating youth and preserving the community’s deep agricultural roots. 

“We’ve got animal experiences, a corn maze this time of year, greenhouses and play structures,” Wagner says. We’ve just reopened our fall U-Pick, which is a free program for people to come out and pick some locally grown produce.” 

Like the National FFA Organization, Fishers Agripark hopes to help FFA members better understand the agricultural industry and recognize its impact on communities regardless of their involvement in agriculture.

“Everything that we do here and have done within the seven years of us being open and operating, we do for education purposes, to teach people about agriculture and why it’s so important,” Wagner says.