BUNKER HILL, IN- In the past six years, Maconaquah Schools have improved and expanded their Agriculture program through various initiatives. In 2014, the corporation started the Maconaquah Cattle Company, a program that provides hands-on learning experience to students through initiatives such as designing the pole barn and pasture on the school’s campus, feeding out several cattle, and taking cattle to be processed for meat that is served in school lunches. In 2018, Maconaquah was awarded a USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) grant. Those monies were used to purchase/lease land and equipment to make handling animals safer for students and staff. Additional livestock were also purchased to expand the breeding stock along with pork for use in the cafeteria. In 2019, the school was awarded the ISDA (Indiana State Department of Agriculture) grant which supported the purchase of artificial insemination supplies to educate students on cattle reproduction through both curricular material as well as hands-on learning experiences.
This month, the Maconaquah School Board met and approved a $2 million bond project that will help facilitate the expansion of the Ag program to include students in grades kindergarten through twelve.
Middle School Principal Craig Jernagan has played a large role in the Ag program, specifically through the addition of the Maconaquah Cattle Company. When asked about the expansion, he said, “We are excited that the Maconaquah Board of Education values CTE and specifically Ag education. The funding that they are providing for the Ag program to expand is an investment that will pay dividends for many years through our K-12 student education and future adult education. We hope that the Ag department can grow alongside the newly started Welding and Construction Trades programs.”
A portion of the funding from this bond will be used to renovate the Ag shop at the high school. The renovation will include new heating, ventilation, and air conditioning units, fresh paint, and a new garage door. In addition to monies spent through the bond issue, the high school Ag department will partner with the new construction trades program to build a greenhouse and small animal shelter to replace the greenhouse that was demolished several years ago.
“I’m excited for the remodel and what it might provide for the students in the realm of more hands on experience in learning,” said High School Agriculture teacher, Dawn Baker. “I believe this is a great opportunity to continue to advance and grow our program.”
In addition to renovations, the corporation will utilize bond money to purchase 47 acres of land. The land will be divided into three areas; pasture/hay grade, row crops, and a wooded nature center. The row crop and pasture land will fit well into the established animal science and plant science program at the high school and middle school.
“We are so excited to have continued opportunities to cultivate our Agriculture program at Maconaquah,” said Superintendent, James Callane. “Both our staff and students have put countless hours into fundraising, publicising, mapping out, and constructing the blue prints of this program. We also can’t go without thanking the many members of our Maconaquah community that have donated their time, materials, supplies, and money in an effort to see our program continue to advance. This is a project that we foresee having a big and positive impact on our community for years to come, and we are so grateful for all of the hands at work.”
As a way to accrue additional funding, Maconaquah’s Ag program will be hosting an auction on October 24, 2020 at 10 AM. All proceeds from the auction will be used to help purchase equipment and supplies for the expansion of the Ag Program. The auction will be located in the bus barn located beside the football field at the high school. The auction will be held in-person, and it is being asked that mask and social distancing guidelines be followed. A link with a list of items and pictures of those items can be found below. The Ag department will be grilling pork burgers during the sale thanks to our sponsor Indiana Pork Producers.
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