Ag makes significant impact at York Institute

The school’s new farming and vocational programs help raise academic scores

Story and photos by Page Haynes

A remarkable transformation has taken place lately at York Institute. The school has diversified its agricultural program, offering students hands-on experiences with a wide range of livestock, crops, and agricultural technologies. Representing some of the students are, from left, Rodney Brannon, Dawson Brown, and Serena Bush, along with agricultural teachers and FFA advisors Sam Brown, who’s also farm manager, and Marissa Wright.

The Alvin C. York Agricultural Institute, a rural public high school located in Jamestown, has undergone a remarkable transformation in the past few years. Under the leadership of John Bush, director of schools, and Principal Abbi Dunford, along with efforts of faculty members like Sam Brown, Marissa Wright, and others, the school has diversified its agricultural program, offering students hands-on experiences with a wide range of livestock, crops, and agricultural technologies. This on-site learning has helped to motivate the students and even raise the school’s American College Testing (ACT) scores by two points.

“John [Bush] was instrumental in revitalizing our educational program two years ago,” says Brown, who was named farm manager in 2023 and has served for nine years as the career technical education (CTE) director. “John had a vision to develop our York Agricultural Institute (YAI) into so much more than it was. We committed to the space and resources, and it’s grown above and beyond our expectations.”

After being named farm manager, Brown collaborated with fellow agriculture teachers and FFA advisors Marissa Wright and Joseph Potter to start transforming their outdoor classrooms. They began by buying smaller animals like sheep, goats, and hogs.

“We diversified our farm because agriculture is more than just cows and plows,” says Brown. “We want our students to know what agriculture is. After all, it is the number one industry in the state. Now we have sheep, goats, hogs, chickens, rabbits, peacocks, quail, and honeybees. We also grow corn and pumpkins.”

The school's program, which formerly consisted of textbooks and a few beef cattle, also involves raising pheasants and turkeys, as well as growing crops, hay, and managing a farm. Students are actively involved in all aspects of the agricultural operations, from feeding and caring for the animals to processing and selling the products.

“We’ve remodeled a lot of our buildings, like our hog barn, that was originally used for storage,” says Brown. “We’ve re-fenced the property with cross fences and added automatic waterers to allow for rotational grazing. We started an Angus heifer development program three years ago, too. Our students raise the cows, do artificial insemination, and conduct ultrasound checks. Later, we either keep the calves as replacement heifers or market them.

“Our future plans include building a slaughterhouse, processing our own animals, and wholesaling that cost to our cafeteria,” he adds. “We will be able to go from conception to consumption with our cattle, and they will never have to leave the property.”

One of the students’ most anticipated projects is pheasant-raising for the Feather-to-Fork Program in October. The school purchases 500 1-day old chicks and the students raise them to use at the hunt that is held as a fundraiser for the school farm at the Sawbriar Hunting Lodge near Allardt. The preserve is owned by Fred and Rhonda Moody who wholeheartedly support and had the vision for this partnership with the school farm and their lodge.

“The Feather-to-Fork program gives our students a diversified agriculture opportunity,” says Wright. “Raising pheasants is something kids don’t normally think of when they think about ag. It’s allowing them to see other avenues in agriculture they may be interested in and helping them see they can do this in their own backyard.”

The arrangement is a win-win situation for both the school and the preserve, says Brown. It’s a case of ‘locals helping locals.’

“It’s a fundraiser for us,” he says. “All the proceeds we make from the sales are put back into our farm fund to purchase our feed and supplies, most of which are bought at Fentress Farmers Cooperative in Jamestown. Many of the ag students go to the preserve on opening day as bird-hunting participants, retrievers and bags in hand, ready to harvest some of their home-grown pheasants.”

The farm also purchases about 100 turkey poults in July and the students raise them until the week of Thanksgiving when they pluck, process, and sell them to the locals for the holidays as another fundraiser.

Besides the Agricultural Institute, the 500-student school also offers vocational CTE pathways like welding or residential construction and a middle college program, allowing students to earn an associate's degree that’s completely on campus alongside their high school diploma. Some seniors graduate with both a high school diploma and an associate’s degree.

“It’s one thing to learn a trade, but another to understand the business side of it and our students are learning both,” said Brown, noting that any student in the state of Tennessee can attend their school. “We’re trying to empower our students to think beyond just the next step, and to look further down the road.”

Rodney Brannon, an 11th-grade student at the school, takes time out to feed the 500 pheasant chicks that he and other agricultural program participants raise for the October hunt at Sawbriar Hunting Lodge near Allardt. The hunt is held as a fundraiser for the school farm and is well attended by students.

The impact of these changes has been significant, with the school's ACT composite scores rising by over two points in just three years. The agricultural and vocational programs have also created new opportunities for students, with many securing jobs and internships in the local community because of their experiences. These efforts have fostered a sense of pride and local engagement, with the local Fentress County community actively supporting the school's initiatives.

Founded by one of the most decorated United States Army soldiers of World War I, Alvin Cullum York, York Institute was built in 1926 as a private agricultural school and later transferred to the state of Tennessee in 1937 due to financial pressures related to the Great Depression.

“It’s the only comprehensive high school that is operated by a State Department of Education,” says Bush. “York was a country boy from this area who said when he got drafted, he felt uneducated amongst his peer group. He was sent to France, and not only had he never seen Notre Dame Cathedral or the Eiffel Tower, but he’d never even heard of them. When he returned as a war hero, the state wanted to honor him. They offered to make him governor or something similar, but the only thing he requested was to build a high school for the children in this isolated area. He wanted to provide vocational training for the mountain boys and girls he grew up among.

“He would be so happy to see this school now,” Bush adds. “We have pride in our school now that we haven’t had in a long time — from the management to the staff to the students to the parents. The community had been sitting here idle for years, not supporting anything because there was nothing to support. But now, we are all working together and our community loves our school.”

Tennessee Farmers Cooperative Chief Executive Officer Shannon Huff agrees.

“Most students do not have the opportunity to work and learn at an on-campus ag facility,” says the York Institute alumnus and Fentress County native. “I couldn't be more proud of what this school has accomplished.”udents a diversified agriculture opportunity,” says Wright. “Raising pheasants is something kids don’t normally think of when they think about ag. It’s allowing them to see other avenues in agriculture they may be interested in and helping them see they can do this in their own backyard.”