Farm Inc. Builds Future Farmers in Kentucky Schools

By Blake Jackson

Agriculture students in Harrison County are gaining a deeper understanding of farming well before they ever earn income from the land. Through hands-on learning, they are discovering that agriculture requires careful planning, strong relationships, and persistence.

These lessons are delivered through Farm Inc., a two-week experiential program led by Shannon Farrell, a 4-H Youth Development agent with the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service. The initiative combines classroom instruction with an immersive simulation called the Farming Game.

“The Farming Game brought together over 30 agribusiness leaders representing a range of farming enterprises and business sectors to ‘do business’ with high school agriculture students,” Farrell said.

“Students come prepared, having already spent days in their agriculture classroom learning about budgeting, finance, soil type, topography and farm management.”

Farrell developed the program to address a gap in agricultural education, particularly for students without direct farming experience.

“While agricultural classes are offered in many Kentucky high schools, there has been a void of educating and preparing young individuals on in-depth, step-by-step farming endeavors,” Farrell said.

“Farming has often been considered a career where only minimal education is needed, but it has evolved into a prestigious occupation that requires countless hours, enormous expenses and great risks.”

Since its introduction nine years ago, Farm Inc. has reached nearly 470 students. In the 2025–2026 session, 41 upperclassmen managed more than 1,500 acres through simulated decision-making and participation in a live auction.

Students select farming scenarios, build budgets, and learn from experts in soil conservation and agricultural finance. The program concludes with a marketplace simulation at the Harrison County Fairgrounds, where students interact with equipment dealers, lenders, and suppliers.

"On paper, it is easy to write down numbers to create fake budgets, but with Farm Inc., they have to create a realistic budget for their farmland going into the event,” said FFA teacher Lacey Short.

“Then they have to take it a step further by talking and meeting with community agriculture members to get actual numbers for what the market price is that day and try to crunch the numbers to break even or be profitable.”

“This event provides such an eye-opening experience on annual expenses, which are usually much greater than realized, and income, which is usually much less than needed,” Farrell said.

“Farm Inc. was an opportunity to see the real-life challenges that farmers face every day, especially financially,” said student Sarra Skinner.

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