Wisconsin Ag Secretary stops at La Crosse high school to see students learn farm-related skills

Career opportunities in agriculture were the focus of some student activity Wednesday at Central High School.

It might seem odd for a school in the city of La Crosse to focus on farm-related jobs but Wisconsin’s state agriculture secretary, Randy Romanski, said the field offers a wide range of working options.

“The great thing about agriculture is there are so many different opportunities that people might not know are related to agriculture,” Romanski said. “I think part of it is just letting young people know what that career pathway looks like, and they could find themselves in a job related to ag or food for a career, and that’s pretty exciting.”

Romanski added that his visit to Central was a way to call attention to new programs at the school related to the farm industry. Sept. 21 is recognized as National Teach Ag Day — dedicated to teaching farm-related skills.

Students in one Central science class were testing how yeast reacts with different types of sugars to see if carbon dioxide could inflate a balloon at the top of a bottle.

Romanski said the new generation of agriculture specialists can come from anywhere, not just rural communities.

“If you have access to a program, like here at La Crosse Central, or Milwaukee Vincent, which is another urban school district that’s got an ag education career pathway, it’s really important that we’re teaching ag and food all over the state,” the secretary said.