Innovations

Take your business to the schools

One of the challenges facing agribusinesses in rural areas is getting local young people interested in a career in their area.  Karri Neils heads-up Human Resources for Sargento Foods in Plymouth, Wisconsin.  They are working with local high schools and technical colleges to make students aware of what is available.

One of the projects involved Sargento donating a high-speed packaging line to Plymouth High School.  Students can find out if they would like working on such a machine or even maintaining it.

The next step is a new agriculture and food science center at the school.  They have just broken ground on a greenhouse which will feature different growing mechanisms including hydroponics and aquaponics.  This will give potential food scientists exposure to a variety of plant growth options.  There will be a kitchen attached to the greenhouse for culinary classes.  “They can learn the whole process from farm to feeding the family.”  They are also looking to expand the program to include eighth-graders.

As a bonus, Neils says it exposes those non-farm students to the interests and careers available in agriculture.  “Our best bet is to get people interested in careers in dairy science, food science, engineering, maintenance, technology as well as administrative skills.”

Neils talks about the effort:

 

Neils was one of the members of the industry panel at the recent AgriFuture Summit in Madison.