April 11, 2025 marked another successful “What’s Growin’ On?” event hosted by Warner University’s Agriculture Department. This event was a chance for middle and high school students to visit Warner’s campus and get a look into Warner’s agriculture programs and the agriculture industry as a whole. The event was funded by the Florida’s Natural Growers Foundation. This year, 130 students from 10 different schools attended the event! We were proud to welcome five agriculture educators who are Warner alumni.
The event consisted of several different stations which students rotated through, focusing on a different topic in each station. The first of these stations taught students about Warner University, our agriculture programs, and our specialized agricultural facilities. The other stations highlighted different parts of the agriculture industry. One was a career fair station where students learned about careers in citrus, livestock feed, nature conservation, agricultural chemicals, and more. There were seven vendors in the career fair station, four of whom were Warner alumni. Another station focused on livestock, hosted by Dr. Lujean Waters and Heartland Large Animal Services. This station taught students about equine and cattle IDs. At another station, students dissected caladiums and took home caladium ready for planting. Lastly, a station hosted by Everglades Equipment Group showcased a new robotic sprayer for crops that students were able to demo.
Special thanks are due to all the volunteers that made this event possible. Kissimmee River Valley Sportsman Association graciously provided and served lunch to all students, teachers, and volunteers present. Our pool of volunteers included 20 members of the community as well as 20 students in Warner’s agricultural programs. The faculty and staff of the Agriculture Department also served by organizing and facilitating the event.
“What’s Growin’ On?” helped expose students to what their future in the agriculture industry could look like and how Warner fits into it. It served our local agricultural educators by giving them the chance to show their students more parts of the industry than they would normally be able to in a single field trip. As part of its ongoing commitment to the community, Warner’s Agriculture Department hosts Camp Roar each summer—an agriculture camp that students from “What’s Growin’ On?” had the chance to register for before leaving campus. Thank you again to all of the volunteers, vendors, and sponsors who made this event possible. We are excited to see how our Agriculture Department continues to be a beacon of service and excellence to our community.
