Brityne Rucker

WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) - As FFA chapters prepare for Give FFA Day, the program at Wichita Southeast High School is offering students more than animal care — it is providing certifications and career pathways that bypass traditional four-year college debt. Agriculture teacher Joanna Farmer said many of her students arrive with little to no exposure to where food comes from. “When I first started, a lot of kids, I’d be like, where did your hamburger come from? McDonald’s.

LANGDON, Kan. (KWCH) - Kansas has added 46 agriculture programs since 2020, a 5% increase statewide, but schools are struggling to hire and retain agriculture educators due to long hours and lower pay compared to industry jobs. At Fairfield High School, today’s agriculture lesson starts with a whole chicken and a knife. It’s part of learning how food moves from farm to table, but teachers say the lesson goes deeper than that. “The trades are really valuable as people age.