As the world becomes increasingly aware of the link between food choices and overall health, a new generation of students is poised to create major changes in the food industry. Students exposed to education models that embrace growing and valuing fresh produce will ultimately be tomorrow's customers.  

This shift has the potential to fundamentally alter how food companies operate, what products fill store shelves, and how food is marketed to consumers.

The College of Southern Maryland (CSM) will launch its next vertical agriculture course on March 31, offering hands-on training in a fast-growing sector of modern farming.

The controlled environment can accelerate plant growth and increase yields while using less water and fewer pesticides.

The state recently awarded the Watertown Schools a grant to run its farm-to-school program, including its Freight Farm. Watertown Public Schools has received more than $80,000 in state grant funding to continue its farm-to-school efforts, expanding learning opportunities for Watertown’s students while also increasing local food production.

Designed for classroom learning, the EdRack Hydroponic System allows students to explore plant science, sustainability, food production, and technology through interactive, project-based experiences.

Students can follow crops from planting to harvest while developing skills in science, mathematics, and critical thinking.

Jackson Elementary School students cracked open their first Hydroponic Flex Farm Tuesday to educate kids and feed those in need.

It is a machine that uses nutrient-rich water to grow plants without soil in a man-made environment.

The video opens with a clear message: “Schools combine hands-on learning of academics paired with life skills.”

It emphasizes that classrooms are becoming more interactive and relevant to daily life, not confined to standard lectures and worksheets.

The district received a $10,000 grant from Marshfield Clinic and Security Health Plan to install two hydroponic “flex farms.”

The system will grow leafy greens year-round, supplying up to 75% of the high school salad bar’s lettuce, reducing costs, conserving water, and providing hands-on learning opportunities for students.

Fifty-five schools across North Dakota are receiving grants from the state’s Department of Agriculture (NDDA) to create hydroponic garden systems.

The NDDA offered its Farm to School hydroponics garden grant in order to help students learn about local food and how it’s grown.

GROW (Growing Real Opportunities for Work) at Kazimour Farm & Orchard is making strides in Cedar Rapids by providing horticultural education that creates meaningful employment for local students, as well as individuals with disabilities, while addressing community food insecurity.

The vertical smart farm has been established in the form of a container-type vertical farm on farmland in Beopgot-dong, Ilsanseo-gu.

It is operated as a facility equipped with a smart environmental control system for cultivating functional leafy vegetables.

Agricultural science, taught by Mrs. Michelle (“Shelley”) Shurlow, is underway at Gladstone High School for the very first year.

Currently an elective, the class gives a group of students education on various elements of agriculture through hands-on experience, guest speakers, field trips, and online learning.

Live Well Kosciusko is expanding its Tower Garden Initiative in 2026 by bringing fresh, locally grown produce and hands-on learning to six locations across the county.
This initiative began as a pilot project at Combined Community Services, made possible through a grant from AWS Foundation and Cardinal Services.

Growcer is bringing back Rootcamp, an immersive, in-person training program for hydroponic modular farming.

Having already trained over 100 growers and produced 10 million+ servings of vegetables, Growcer’s bootcamp combines hands-on farm operations with essential business training.

Two secondary schools in Manchester are set to see the benefits from the use of vertical hydroponic towers in the enhancement of agricultural programmes for students.

The schools namely, Manchester High and Holmwood Technical High, were presented with the towers on Thursday during a handing over ceremony in Mandeville.

The Ubly FFA Chapter was one of 11 schools awarded Glassbrook grant funding to support hands-on agricultural education.

The chapter wrote a grant to purchase Tower Gardens, a vertical farming and hydroponics system, for use in the school and greenhouse.

The freight container is not just a teaching tool but also provides fresh produce for students around the district.

Known as a Freight Farm, the container is filled with walls outfitted with equipment to water and nourish hundreds of plants, and lights to help them grow.

Back in June, the school received a new freight farm, which is a converted shipping container made to grow plants.

It was made possible through the Massachusetts FRESH Grant from Mass. Farm to School, and since then, the garden has been thriving.

After North Casper Elementary School closed its doors, the Casper Housing Authority bought the building and made a promise to the school district: to turn it into something positive.

That's how Urban Thistle Farm was born, and its mission is to alleviate the food desert in North Casper.