DAVENPORT - North Scott students are on a real field trip on Tuesday, October 30. This outdoor classroom is the setting for a lab on the land during the 2018 harvest.
"I'm going to have you count this row," said Makenna Sherman, 16. "I'm going to have you count that row."
Sherman, a North Scott FFA student, is inspiring the next generation to explore careers in agriculture.
"We've been in and out of the fields," she said. "Just management of them and seeing what we could do to build off of."
North Scott students are helping to harvest this 40-acre test plot in Davenport.
Colin DeCap, 16, is a busy teen in the tractor. Planning to be a third-generation farmer, he's fascinated with all the changes.
"It's crazy," he said. "The amount of technology that agriculture has inputted in the last 10 years."
Kernel-by-kernel, students get a feel for the work. North Scott's Agriculture Department is opening eyes to all the career possibilities.
North Scott FFA also draws students from several area high schools to participate in the regional program.
"Most of the people in our agriculture program will not be farmers," said teacher Jacob Hunter. "What's really cool is there's so many jobs for students in agriculture right now."
The 2018 harvest is providing a good learning experience. Sherman is helping to estimate the yield, which is so far topping 240 bushels per acre.
"It's not as easy as it looks," she said. "There's a lot of background work that goes into it."
With school playing a crucial role, this field trip might harvest some new careers down the line.
"It's exciting to see what we've done," Sherman concluded. "How we've changed from last year's planting to this year's planting."
