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First harvest of soybeans for the OVHS Corp of Engineers cooperative agricultural and environmental studies program is sold with the proceeds helping the school’s FFA and other community projects.

OVHS Students Reap Benefits of Corp Coop

By Derek Pope
for the News Progress

Okaw Valley School District drew a lot of attention earlier this year when it announced a first-of-its-kind agricultural program built on a partnership with the local division of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE).

It allowed OVHS students to participate firsthand in the cultivation of crops and conservation efforts around Lake Shelbyville.

By the time of that announcement students had already contributed nearly 900 volunteer hours aiding the USACE and since then have dedicated many more. But last week the fruits of their labor paid off—Okaw Valley students harvested a 40-acre soybean plot to which they had tended since it was planted in June.

The cultivation project was overseen by Okaw Valley’s agriculture teacher Wes Wise and was accomplished through the efforts of five high school students and numerous businesses throughout the area.      Login or Subscribe to read the rest of this story.