NORTH ROBINSON, OH (CRAWFORD COUNTY NOW)—At Colonel Crawford, students aren’t just learning about agriculture in the classroom—they’re actively farming a six-and-a-half-acre field on school grounds. Led by teachers Mr. Schieber and Mr. Strouse, a small group of agriculture students has transformed the space into a hands-on learning experience that fosters independence, teamwork, and a deeper understanding of farming practices.
“They came up with the things that we want to do. They found a corn planter on Facebook with beam monitors so we could plant two different crops. The guy gave us a very good deal on it. We could spend all day back there taking care of it,” Schieber said. “We work the ground, we put fertilizer on, these guys planted it. We incorporated the entire eighth-grade class—they got to ride around with them and see how it actually works, see what it’s like in the cab of a tractor. We get donations for seed; they gave us price breaks for fertilizer since we’re a school, and we can use it as a little bit of a fundraiser and a great learning experience.”
Senior Danny Schimpf, juniors Gage Billings and Keegan Ward, and sophomores Mitchell Perkins and Cole Hudson acted as the farm managers on this project, making key decisions and executing farming tasks.
“We had our collective minds doing it. We didn’t have our parents or bosses down our backs, trying to tell us what to do. So it was nice to think on our own for once. It was ours, I guess,” Ward said.
Schimpf echoed this sentiment, adding, “It helps other kids that aren’t involved, that don’t have the opportunity at home to be involved in planting and working ground and stuff.”
Beyond their own involvement, the students extended the learning experience to younger classmates. The eighth-grade class joined in, riding in tractors and witnessing firsthand how the machinery operates. Many of them had never been exposed to agriculture in this way before, making the experience particularly impactful.
Schimpf recounted his experience with the eighth graders in the cab, saying, “I guess they asked a few questions, but I was telling them kind of what everything was. A lot of them knew some, but they didn’t know a whole lot.”
Billings also noted their enthusiasm: “I’d say that they were all willing to learn, they were all interested, and they really appreciated it. I asked if they’d ever ridden in a tractor, and I’d say 80% of them said no.”
The project wasn’t without its challenges. From tractors struggling to gain traction to misaligned fertilizer flags, the students had to troubleshoot issues on the spot.
Ward described the importance of thinking critically under pressure: “You got to come up with this stuff on the fly. For example, with the flags, it’s not like you could sit there for another hour and try to figure out where the flag is supposed to be. You’re just going to have to figure it out.”
Schimpf agreed, saying, “Yeah, you couldn’t really just stop driving. You just kind of have to guess and go with it, I guess.”
Ward laughed, adding, “You seem like a pretty smart guy when you pretend like you know what you’re doing.”
With the corn expected to be harvested in early October, the students will soon face real-world agricultural business decisions. The crop will be taken to Sunrise, where they will determine the best approach—whether to sell immediately, contract the sale, or store it for delayed pricing.
Schieber sees this next step as another valuable lesson in agricultural economics: “There are no two-hour delays when you’ve got to go out and plant corn.”
Beyond the classroom, Schieber looks forward to the community being able to see the work the students have done in the field.
“Basically, what we want to use this field for is if we can get a plow day every year—depending on if we get the crops off in time for the fall festival—to get people back there to see what’s going on, see how we do things, and the more people that see what’s going on, we can show them the ways of what we’re doing, why we’re doing it, and why it’s beneficial,” Schieber said.
Several local businesses have generously supported the initiative. Burkharts provided a brand-new tractor, while Midwood, Brause Brothers, a Beck’s dealer, and Sunrise contributed seed and helped offset fertilizer costs. This backing has been instrumental in keeping the project sustainable and ensuring students have the resources they need.
The experience has left a lasting impact on the students, who feel more confident in their abilities. Ward summed it up best: “You understand the machine a lot better when you’re in charge of it. It’s a lot different than just riding along. When you’re riding along, ‘Oh, let’s put seed in the ground’—you don’t think about all of the units individually trying to work together.”
Schimpf added, “See, you gotta think how, if you’re not the one doing it, how somebody else is gonna know kind of what you did.”
The hardest part? For Ward, it was trying to get the tractor to find enough traction. For Schimpf, it was spreading fertilizer and trying to set the flags. For Hudson, it was trying to stay in the seat on the bumpy ride.
As for what they’d change? “Get the planter ready the week before we think we’ll need it,” Ward said.
Then, jokingly, “Tear out the football field and extend our field further.”
Beyond the jokes, their efforts prove that young people—even with limited experience—can successfully tackle real-world agricultural projects. And more importantly, their passion for farming is inspiring the next generation to explore opportunities in the field.
