Helping students think about cultivating a future in agriculture | News

It may be the middle of summer, but that didn’t stop 40 high school students from going to class.  Some of those students came from your area and took part in the South Carolina Commissioner’s School of Agriculture from July 14 - 20 at Clemson University.

For the ninth year, high school juniors and seniors attended the Commissioner’s School and learned about careers in agriculture and natural resources. Thirty-five students came from South Carolina. The other five came from Tennessee, Virginia, Alabama, Georgia and North Carolina.

Hugh Weathers, South Carolina Commissioner of Agriculture said, “The 2012 class is a very outstanding group. Their academic standing indicates that agribusiness is attracting the best and brightest of today's young people.”  He also added, “It's always rewarding for me as our state's Commissioner of Agriculture to see these students get excited about agriculture!” 

“The week spent in Clemson is used to expose these participants to a variety of academic opportunities as well as multiple career opportunities. We want them to realize the vast diversity of professional careers available to them.” said Katie Black, Coordinator of Student Relations and Recruitment for the College of Agriculture, Forestry, and Life Sciences at Clemson.

Students choose academic tracks of interest, and spent time getting some first-hand experience. Among other things, they visited a local peach farm, toured Death Valley and learned about turf-grass management, took part in a stream assessment at Wildcat Creek, and listened to presentations on being a Game Warden and veterinarian school preparation.

Please see the attachment for a list of the participants’ names, hometowns and high schools. Use this link http://bit.ly/NLrnr3 to access a picture of Commissioner Weathers and a participating student or students from your area.  When using the pictures for full screen graphics, web postings or in copy, please credit Peter Togel.

Applications for the 2013 Commissioner’s School are released in January. For more information, email Katie Black at hulse@clemson.edu.