Final report for FNC25-1482
Project Information
Amber Smith, the Project Director, is a graduate of Raytown High School, a resident of the Raytown C-2 School District, and a parent of an elementary student within the district. As a farmer, she is deeply committed to fostering agricultural opportunities. Amber combines over 20 years of experience as a STEM educator with a career in health care and project management, leading initiatives that improve health outcomes and economic viability.
As CEO of Farms by Amber, she operates a small scale farm spanning 0.25 acres, hydroponic systems, and six leased acres, cultivating high-value crops like leafy greens, garlic, and turmeric. Amber has established distribution partnerships with Whole Foods, Loews Hotel, and Levy Restaurants, and manages a 30-member CSA program, demonstrating the farm's ability to integrate production with market-based solutions. She leads with a mission to align sustainable farming practices with workforce development, addressing local food availability while building career pathways in agriculture.
The project will be implemented in collaboration with the following partners:
Raytown C-2 School District: As the lead organization, the district will integrate the agriculture program into its vocational training pathways, leveraging Herndon Career Center and Real World Learning Coordinators to align the curriculum with career readiness standards.
University of Missouri-Kansas City Small Business Development Center (UMKC SBDC): Providing business training in marketing, financial planning, and scaling operations to support students’ entrepreneurial ambitions.
University of Missouri Extension Office: Delivering agricultural expertise, including sustainable farming practices, hydroponics, and soil management.
(UPP): Enhancing consumer impact by connecting agriculture with food justice initiatives.
Michael Watson, Executive Director of Raytown Emergency Assistance Program (REAP): Coordinating produce distribution to address food supply, ensuring direct benefit.
The project addressed the limited availability of vocational pathways and practical sustainable agriculture education for high school students in the Raytown C 2 School District. Many students had limited exposure to agriculture as a career field despite growing opportunities within agriculture, food systems, entrepreneurship, and related industries. At the same time, families within the surrounding community experienced economic challenges and limited supply of fresh, locally grown food. The project responded to these challenges by connecting agriculture education, workforce development, entrepreneurship, and community food supply through the development and use of a Model Farm.
The Model Farm served as the primary demonstration and applied learning site for the project. Students participated in classroom instruction, hands on demonstrations, workshops, farm activities, and practical experiences involving raised bed production, edible landscaping, hydroponics, composting, soil health, planting, harvesting, and sustainable production practices. Agricultural instruction was paired with business education in areas such as planning, financial management, marketing, risk reduction, and decision making. Volunteers and community members also supported the learning environment by helping students move through different areas of the Model Farm and taking ownership of activities that aligned with their experience, interests, and strengths. Produce grown through the project also supported the connection between agricultural education and community food supply through partnerships including the Raytown Emergency Assistance Program.
The project demonstrated that experiential agriculture education can provide students with a stronger understanding of both the production and business sides of farming while exposing them to agriculture as a viable career and entrepreneurial pathway. Participants increased their confidence in applying sustainable practices, making farm related decisions, and understanding the systems required to operate a farm as a business. Learning extended beyond individual activities as students and other participants practiced production planning, record keeping, resource management, marketing, and sustainable growing methods that could be applied in future agricultural work or farming operations. The Model Farm also provided a replicable example of how schools and community partners can connect agriculture education, workforce development, and local food supply. A Model Farm Youth Roadmap was also developed to help extend the educational model to other farmers, educators, and organizations.
As a result of the educational programming, participants applied sustainable practices directly through the Model Farm, including composting, soil building, raised bed production, hydroponic growing, crop maintenance, harvesting, and production planning. Participants also gained practical tools for evaluating production choices, tracking farm activities, planning for markets, and making stronger business decisions. These experiences reinforced that developing successful future farmers requires more than teaching students how to grow food. It also requires building their capacity to understand agriculture as a business, a career, and a tool for strengthening their communities.
This project addresses workforce development and food availability through the establishment of a model farm that integrates sustainable agriculture practices with a comprehensive educational framework. The initiative will serve as a training hub, equipping high school students with practical skills and preparing them for entrepreneurial careers in agriculture. Importantly, this program seeks to mitigate the demographic challenge of the aging farming workforce. With the average age of U.S. farmers exceeding 57 years, this project aims to inspire and train the next generation of agricultural entrepreneurs, ensuring the continuity and advancement of sustainable farming practices.
Teaching Methods and Materials
Employing an interdisciplinary approach to education, the project utilizes experiential learning, workshops, and mentorship to prepare students for the complexities of modern agriculture:
- Hands-On Training: Students will engage in farm design, planting, and maintenance while learning sustainable practices such as hydroponics, raised-bed gardening, composting, crop rotation, and production forecasting. These activities will provide students with the technical skills necessary to align production strategies with market demands effectively.
- Workshops and Seminars: Educational modules, developed in collaboration with the Raytown C-2 School District, Herndon Career Center, University of Missouri Extension Office, and UPP , will cover topics including soil health, water conservation, pest management, and farm economics.
- Business Development Training: Students will acquire essential business acumen to establish and manage profitable agricultural enterprises. Training, facilitated by the University of Missouri-Kansas City Small Business Development Center, will include:
- Financial Literacy and Management: Instruction on budgeting, capital acquisition, cash flow, and credit utilization.
- Revenue Stability : Strategies for developing multiple income streams, such as CSA programs, direct-to-consumer sales, and institutional partnerships, alongside customer analytics and acquisition techniques to expand market reach.
- Strategic Planning: Emphasis on cultivating farms that are not only operational but inherently profitable, equipping students with the tools to design scalable and sustainable agricultural businesses.
- Strategic Planning: Exploration of agriculture’s integration into city planning frameworks, including land use, zoning, and infrastructure considerations.
- Population Health: Analysis of agriculture’s role in addressing food availability and promoting availability and opportunities to eat to nutrient-dense foods.
- Customer Engagement: The farm’s produce will be distributed through partnerships with the Raytown Emergency Assistance Program (REAP), UPP, and Raytown C-2 School District. This “grown in Raytown, for Raytown” model reinforces localized food systems, directly benefitting the area while highlighting impact.
Research
Project activities were carried out on the project’s model farm, which served as the primary demonstration and hands-on learning site for participating student farmers. The Model Farm was established using raised beds, edible landscaping materials, soil amendments, perennial plants, hydroponic system kits, composting equipment, educational signage, and printed training materials. These materials were selected because they are appropriate for small-scale farm sites, demonstrate multiple sustainable production methods, and offer practices that participants could evaluate and adapt for their own farming operations.
Methods included site preparation; installation and management of raised-bed and edible landscaping systems; setup and operation of hydroponic growing units; and incorporation of composting and soil-building practices. Participants engaged in hands-on activities related to planting, maintenance, harvesting, and system use while observing how the different production methods functioned on the Model Farm.
These applied learning activities were paired with workshops focused on sustainable agriculture, farm business planning, and entrepreneurship so participants could connect production practices with the business decisions required to operate a viable farm. Project implementation and participant learning were documented through attendance records, participant assessments, photographs, produce distribution tracking, and review of student work products. These methods were used to evaluate both participants’ understanding and adoption of sustainable practices and their progress toward stronger farm business decision-making.
The project established five objectives designed to connect sustainable agriculture, student learning, workforce development, entrepreneurship, and community food supply. While the core purpose of the project remained consistent, implementation provided opportunities to adapt several activities based on student engagement, the school environment, and lessons learned throughout the project.
1. Develop a Model Urban Farm
This objective was achieved. The Model Farm was established as the primary hands on learning and demonstration site and incorporated sustainable production methods including raised beds, edible landscaping, hydroponic growing systems, composting, soil building practices, planting, maintenance, and harvesting. Students were able to learn by working directly within the systems rather than only receiving classroom instruction. These activities were consistent with the sustainable practices identified in the original project plan.
2. Deliver Vocational Training
This objective was achieved with an adaptation. Students participated in practical agriculture education that combined production skills with business education, career exploration, financial decision making, marketing, planning, and entrepreneurship. The original proposal envisioned a formal certificate program. As implementation progressed, the project found that students responded more strongly to hands on experiences, ownership of activities, and opportunities to explore areas of agriculture that matched their interests. For that reason, the project prioritized applied learning and transferable skills rather than making a formal certificate the primary measure of completion. A Model Farm Youth Roadmap was also developed to help extend the educational model to other farmers, educators, and organizations. The proposal originally called for technical and business education to be integrated into the vocational experience.
3. Address Food Insecurity
This objective was achieved through the connection between agricultural education and community food supply. Produce grown through project activities supported local food production efforts through REAP and community partnerships. Students were able to see that agricultural production was not simply an academic exercise. The food they helped grow had a community purpose and demonstrated how local agriculture can contribute to a stronger local food system. The original project specifically identified produce distribution and local food supply as a central component of the Model Farm.
4. Engage the Community
This objective was achieved with an adaptation to the outreach strategy. Rather than relying primarily on one large public event, community engagement occurred through Model Farm activities, workshops, demonstrations, volunteers, community relationships, partner networks, and direct communication with students and families. Volunteers also helped students move through different areas of the Model Farm and took ownership of activities that aligned with their interests and strengths. Given the political climate and the importance of maintaining trust with the population being served, public outreach and photography were intentionally limited. The project therefore relied more heavily on trusted relationships and word of mouth while continuing to provide meaningful opportunities for community participation.
5. Foster Agricultural Entrepreneurship
This objective was partially achieved and also evolved based on what was appropriate for high school students. The original goal was to train 20 students to launch profitable agricultural enterprises through financial literacy, strategic planning, and customer acquisition. Students received education in agricultural entrepreneurship, marketing, business planning, financial decision making, production planning, and the relationship between what a farm grows and what customers will buy. An important lesson from implementation was that success for high school students should not be measured solely by whether they immediately launch a farm business. The project instead strengthened students' understanding of agriculture as a business and career pathway and gave them practical tools they can use in future agricultural employment, entrepreneurship, or continued education.
Overall Result
Taken together, the objectives demonstrated that a Model Farm can serve as more than a production site. It can function as a living classroom where students connect sustainable production, business decision making, workforce development, community food supply, and entrepreneurship. One of the strongest lessons from the project was the importance of beginning with market research and business thinking so students understood not only how to grow a product, but why they were growing it, who might purchase it, and how agricultural production connects to a viable business.
Educational & Outreach Activities
Participation summary:
Throughout the reporting period, education and outreach centered on hands on learning at the Model Farm, supported by workshops, demonstrations, farm based activities, technical instruction, and peer learning. High school students were the primary learners participating in the Model Farm activities. Students rotated through different areas of the farm and were introduced to sustainable production practices, business planning, financial decision making, marketing, and the broader range of skills involved in operating an agricultural enterprise.
Additional volunteers supported the students throughout the project. Volunteers helped guide students through the different learning areas and activities and were encouraged to take ownership of portions of the work that aligned with their individual interests, experience, and strengths. This created a more collaborative learning environment and allowed students to interact with adults and community members who could reinforce instruction, model problem solving, and help them explore different aspects of agriculture.
Educational activities included Model Farm demonstrations, workshops, farm visits, presentations, hands on production activities, and individual or small group guidance. Students worked with raised beds, edible landscaping, hydroponic systems, composting, soil health practices, planting, maintenance, harvesting, and other sustainable production methods. The activities were intentionally paired with instruction on the business side of agriculture so students could understand that successful farming requires both production knowledge and sound business decision making.
The project and its activities were communicated primarily through word of mouth, existing community relationships, partner networks, and direct communication with students, families, volunteers, and other community stakeholders. Given the current political climate and the importance of maintaining trust with the population being served, the project intentionally used limited public outreach and limited photography of some activities. This approach allowed the project to share opportunities through trusted networks while respecting participant privacy and maintaining a welcoming environment.
Project results and lessons learned were also shared informally with volunteers, community partners, farmers, educators, and others connected to the project. Educational resources developed through the project, including planning worksheets, reference materials, and practical decision making tools, provide an additional way for the knowledge gained through the project to continue being shared beyond individual events.
Learning Outcomes
This project reinforced that student farmers need both sound production knowledge and strong business systems to build viable farm operations. Through hands on learning, peer collaboration, and individual technical assistance, students strengthened their skills in planning, recordkeeping, financial management, labor efficiency, and market development.
The project reduced barriers by making sustainable agriculture education practical, accessible, and directly connected to real farming conditions. Student farmers gained confidence by applying what they learned, observing different approaches, and learning from one another. The greatest challenge is that meaningful adoption takes time, but small and consistent improvements can lead to stronger productivity, profitability, and long term success.
I would encourage other farmers and educators to combine technical instruction with mentorship, peer learning, and real world application. Student farmers are more likely to retain and use new information when they can practice it, ask questions, and connect each lesson to their own farm goals.
Project Outcomes
Student farmers reported increased confidence in applying sustainable production practices and making business decisions. Several participants implemented improved recordkeeping systems, production planning, and marketing strategies while strengthening relationships with agricultural service providers and fellow producers. The combination of hands on learning, peer collaboration, and individualized technical assistance helped participants move from learning concepts to applying them on their own farms.
Students also expressed interest in gaining deeper insight into the off field activities that support the agricultural ecosystem, including marketing, financing, distribution, compliance, and business development. One beginning produce farmer shared that the project provided the structure and confidence needed to view farming as a business rather than simply a production activity. Another participant noted that learning alongside other student farmers created a supportive network that continued beyond the workshops, resulting in ongoing collaboration and resource sharing.
Future projects should expand beyond production training to give student farmers a fuller understanding of the agricultural ecosystem. This includes stronger exposure to marketing, financing, procurement, distribution, compliance, certification, and business development.
Student farmers benefit most when education connects what happens in the field to what makes a farm financially sustainable. SARE should continue investing in projects that combine hands on instruction, peer learning, mentorship, and direct access to agricultural professionals. These experiences help students build confidence, strengthen decision making, and see agriculture not only as production, but as a complete business and career pathway.