Graves County routinely ranks among the top five counties in Kentucky for agriculture sales, providing unique opportunities for young people interested in pursuing careers in agriculture and agri-business.
To help local students learn more about the agriculture industry and see themselves in ag-related careers, the Community Connections program recently hosted “Agriculture Day” for several students from Graves County High School. The students, currently enrolled in agriculture classes, spent the day visiting Lowry Farms, C&C Ag Solutions, Hutson, Inc., Nutrien Ag Solutions and Workman Bins, Inc., all local ag-related businesses.
Keith Lowry, owner of Lowry Farms said "The Graves County Ag students that visited my farm were a great bunch of kids to work with. They had may good questions about the farm and seemed very interested in agriculture. Thanks to GCED for arranging these very useful visits."
Each of these businesses gave students a different view of agriculture, from operating a family farm, providing agricultural technology expertise, delivering the latest in agriculture equipment and helping farmers maximize profits with onsite grain storage solutions.
"The students were super involved and very attentive with the whole presentation. The whole time they would ask questions about all components of the daily tasks/operations of our full ag retail store. I highly recommend having local students being involved in our industry to help boost our generation in the ag market," said Colt Haley, Nutrien Ag Solutions Operations Manager.
Community Connections is the brainchild of Graves County Economic Development (GCED) in partnership with Graves County and Mayfield Independent Schools, the City of Mayfield, Mayfield/Graves County Chamber of Commerce, the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce and the West Kentucky Workforce Board. The goal is to make students aware of the wide range of employers in Graves County and help them build relationships that can lead to internships, job shadowing and other potential development opportunities.
“We are very grateful to the businesses who shared their time and expertise with our agriculture students,” said Jason Lemle, President, GCED. “And we look forward to seeing these students build a career doing something they love, right here at home. They will be the ones to continue building Graves County’s reputation as an agricultural leader.”
We would like to thank you each of our sponsors for the ag day. Lunch host and sponsor - Lowry Farms, lunch sponsor - River Valley Ag, lunch provider - Browns Processing, and transportation sponsor - Graves County Economic Development.
Other Community Connections events this semester will focus on business, information technology and engineering. Watch for future updates.
About Graves County Economic Development
Graves County Economic Development began in 1981, becoming the driving force behind expansion and development opportunities in the community. It continues to foster strong relationships with existing businesses and attracts new industry to grow in Graves County. There are 44 industrial businesses in Graves County that employ 2,300 people in the community.
