Agriscience Senior Project Guide

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Overview

Georgia 4-H Project Achievement empowers young people with skills for a lifetime. Through a competitive process, students explore their interests, unleash their creativity, share their work, and celebrate their achievements! This guide provides 9th—12th graders with examples for getting started with their project exploration.

Overview of Project Achievement Process

1) Choose project
2) Develop skills in leadership and service
3) Prepare portfolio for work completed from January 1 – December 31
4) Prepare presentation
5) Practice
6) Compete
7) Reflect

Description of Agriscience Project

4-H’ers may explore aspects of agriculture gaining a basic understanding of the importance of agriculture in providing life-sustaining food and fiber for the world’s people and the many careers available in the field of agriculture. Through this project 4-H’ers may:
•Understand modern farming and overall agricultural practices.
•Explore emerging agricultural technologies and their function(s) in the agricultural industry.
•Gain knowledge of scientific processes and principles and how they relate to the agricultural community.
•Investigate precision and sustainable agriculture and adaptive farm equipment.
•Learn best management practices (BMPs) related to agricultural production and environmental quality.
•Understand the farm-to-fork movement and its place in agriculture.
•Understand agriculture macroeconomics related to commodities and agrotourism.
•May grasp how supply and demand may impact production pricing, marketing, and storage.
•Explore ecological impacts including wildlife, invasive species, pesticide/herbicide use, water quality.
•Consider impacts of climate and extreme weather.
•Explore career opportunities related to agribusiness, agriscience and environmental systems, agricultural education, applied economics, resource management, public program analysis, economic forecasting, precision agriculture/agroecology, and economic research

Examples of Project Development Experiences

•Schedule a visit with the local Extension agricultural agent to gain an overview of agricultural enterprises and the differing levels of complexity in each.
•Investigate if your community has farm-to-fork systems and visit with those producing the food.
•Research Extension and Natural Resources Conservation Services guides on agricultural best management practices (BMPs).
•Visit agricultural suppliers to learn about seeds, fertilizers and agrichemicals.
•Explore how commodities future trading impacts prices

Project Sharing and Helping Examples

•Start and lead a club to explore agriculture in Georgia
•Share what you have learned about agricultural best management practices with younger 4-H members, school classes, and agricultural and/or civic clubs
•Lead a tour at local agricultural businesses
•Present at agricultural meetings about the importance of agriculture, possible groups include Extension production meetings, Extension Master Gardeners, Young Farmers and Ranchers, Farm Bureau, Soil and Water Districts, Cattlemen’s, commodity groups and commissions, etc.
•Write and publish an article in a mass media outlet (such as a newspaper or online news outlets) about your project work
•Enter an Agriscience-related mini-booth at a fair
•Collaborate with schools to offer farm-to-school field days
•Mentor a younger 4-H’er in the Agriscience project
•Help neighbors start a vegetable garden and share BMPs and other resources to support their journey
•Advise farmers/producers of ag technologies
•Volunteer to become a member of the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) Earth Team
•Start a community agricultural awareness program

Special Considerations

Presentations at competition should show appreciation of Agriscience via a demonstration of actual skill or by an illustrated talk that reflects knowledge gained through study.
•Youth should practice safety when communicating with new people online or in person.
•Ask permission before photographing, taping, or quoting someone or their agricultural enterprises.
•Please use best safety practices when handling tools and equipment

Recommended Resources

Project Achievement – Georgia 4-H

College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences | University of Georgia

Extension | UGA Cooperative Extension

Georgia Department of Agriculture | Farmers, Food Safety & Licensing

Farm To School

IFDC – Feeding a Hungry World through Better Soil Health

Home | Natural Resources Conservation Service

National Agriculture in the Classroom

Southern SARE Home Page – SARE Southern

Library

At Competition

Agriscience 4-H projects may use posters, artifacts, biofacts, and/or technology to support their presentation. The time limit for these presentations is 12 minutes. Computers, projectors, screens, and other technological devices may be used but must be provided by the presenter.

Prepared by: Craven Hudson and Keri Hobbs
Reviewed and edited by: Kasey Bozeman and Katie Bowker