Midland Valley High to start biosystems lab

Aaron Floyd's family has a fish farm at their home where they raise catfish. So it was a natural fit for the Midland Valley High School junior to participate in the agricultural education program at the school.

"We learned all the basics about agriculture first," said Floyd, the school's Future Farmers of America secretary. "It's different from any other class. It's more fun and more freedom. I'm interested in all of it, the stuff we do around the lab and the garden."

In eight years at Midland Valley, instructor Jeremy Brooks has established a diverse and award-winning program. One might say agricultural education isn't just about farms and farmers any longer.

The school was one of 16 chosen statewide to participate in a biosystems technology project.

It's a joint venture between Clemson University's biosystems engineering and agricultural education programs and Greenville Technical College's Department of Biotechnology and Engineering faculty. The project is funded through an $800,000 grant from the National Science Foundation.

Brooks attended a weeklong training session at Clemson and receive thousands of dollars' worth of lab equipment to start a biosystems lab at Midland Valley, modeled after the laboratory at Clemson. The lab is focusing on water quality and research on alternative uses of waste algae from the program's aquaculture programs.

Brooks "hopes to use the grant as a means to better prepare my students for the rapidly growing biomanufacturing industry as well as the ever-advancing natural resource industry," he said in a press release.

As for awards, the Midland Valley agriculture program was named the S.C. Lower State Region Agriculture Program of the year. The program will compete for state honors.

Brooks also coordinates an adult division at the school - the Midland Valley Young Farmer and Agribusiness Association. The program was named the top postsecondary program in the southern states and is one of the top six in the nation.

"The program is definitely a leader in the community," Allen Willams, a longtime Wagener-Salley agricultural education teacher and past president of the S.C. Association of Agricultural Educators, said in a press release. "In addition to its excellent scholastic accomplishments, the program has proven its outstanding ability by hosting many community activities."

With the grant and the awards, Brooks could have stayed pat with his program, which offers an introductory agriculture class and courses in aquaculture, wildlife management and equipment operations. Instead, he decided to completely revamp the approach.

"We're trying to get more research-oriented, offering a more collegiate level to prepare for the transition to college," he said. "The assignments and grading are more like the students would find in college. I'm presenting them with topics, and they go out and obtain the research materials."

His students are exploring such assignments as the impact of the wild boar and the white-tailed deer in South Carolina.

Junior Lorna Jackson joined Brooks' program as a sophomore and is now an FFA officer.

"I've learned so many things in this class and really feel more engaged about school," she said. "I like being in FFA and meeting new people every year."

Principal Dr. Doris Hickson welcomed Brooks' new philosophy.

"We underestimate our students sometimes," she said. "When you set the bar high with expectations, students will rise to it. Mr. Brooks now has six classes and an enormous number of projects with his students, including work within our own building and grounds. He does a great job."

Contact Rob Novit at rnovit@aikenstandard.com.