By ERIC HUGHES | Special to arkadelphian.com
This morning, I stood on the banks of Lake Catherine at a place that holds deep meaning for thousands of Arkansas students and educators: Camp Couchdale, the home of Arkansas FFA. I was there for the ribbon cutting of a transformative new facility—the Greenway Equipment Agriculture Mechanics Laboratory. This $2.5 million investment is more than just a building. It represents our shared commitment to preparing Arkansas students for the careers of the future through agriculture education and FFA.
The Arkansas FFA Foundation was proud to help raise funds for this project, and we are especially grateful to Greenway Equipment for their lead gift and continued support. The state-of-the-art lab will serve as a year-round training center, not just for students, but for the agriculture teachers who guide them. In fact, during our tour following the ceremony, we witnessed one of the lab’s first training sessions already underway. An outside consultant was conducting a class in precision agriculture, teaching Arkansas ag teachers how to code in Python to operate cutting-edge agricultural machinery.
If you haven’t heard the term “precision agriculture,” you will soon. It refers to the use of technology—including GPS, data analytics, robotics, and automation—to make farming more efficient, productive, and sustainable. Precision agriculture enables farmers to apply exactly the right amount of water, fertilizer, or pesticide to exactly the right place, reducing waste and improving yields. But the benefits go far beyond the farm.
The same skills used to control a GPS-guided combine in a rice field are increasingly being used in other industries—especially in forestry and manufacturing. In South Arkansas, where the timber industry is a major economic driver, logging companies now deploy equipment with precision-guided systems that require operators to understand both mechanics and code. These systems increase efficiency, reduce environmental impact, and improve safety. Manufacturers across the state rely on similar automation and control systems in their operations. Training in Python programming and mechanical systems gives students and workers the tools to succeed in these high-tech environments.
That is why we are so excited about what’s happening in Clark County. With the launch of a brand-new agriculture program at Arkadelphia High School, and established programs already thriving at Gurdon High School and Centerpoint High School, Clark County is positioning itself as a hub for workforce-ready graduates. These programs don’t just teach about crops and livestock—they teach welding, engineering, environmental science, business management, and yes, computer programming. Students leave agriculture classrooms not just with knowledge, but with certifications, hands-on experience, and leadership skills that translate directly into the workplace.
At the heart of all these efforts is the FFA—formerly known as Future Farmers of America. Today’s FFA is far more than blue jackets and livestock shows. The Arkansas FFA Association and its chapters are part of a nationwide organization dedicated to developing the potential of young people through premier leadership, personal growth, and career success. FFA members don’t just study agriculture—they live its values through the FFA Motto: Learning to Do, Doing to Learn, Earning to Live, and Living to Serve.
As chairman of the Arkansas FFA Foundation, I’ve seen firsthand how FFA transforms lives. Students who might never have seen themselves as leaders discover confidence through speaking competitions. Others find their calling working on ag mechanics teams, building projects that rival anything you’d see in a college engineering course. Still others develop business plans, manage school-based enterprises, or attend leadership conferences that set them on a path to success in any number of fields. These students are not just preparing for jobs—they are preparing for careers with purpose. And that matters deeply to the economic future of our communities. A skilled workforce is not just a buzzword—it’s a requirement for sustainable growth. When local businesses know they can hire workers with technical training, communication skills, and a strong work ethic, they are more likely to expand. When outside employers consider moving to a region, one of their first questions is: Can we find the people we need? Clark County, and Arkansas more broadly, can answer “yes” thanks in large part to our strong agriculture education programs.
If you’re a high school student and want to be on the cutting edge of career development, agriculture education and FFA have a place for you. Whether your future lies in farming, forestry, biotech, business, welding, or teaching, the tools you need are being taught right now in classrooms across Arkansas.
If you’re in business and industry and want a cutting-edge workforce, you will find it in your local ag program. These are not yesterday’s vocational tracks—they are tomorrow’s talent pipelines. They are producing students who are ready, responsible, and reliable.
We are fortunate in Clark County to have strong school districts that support agriculture programs and educators who go above and beyond. We are even more fortunate to have students who are eager to learn, build, and serve.
So today, as I stood in the new Greenway Equipment Agriculture Mechanics Laboratory and watched teachers code Python for precision agriculture equipment, I didn’t just see a training session—I saw a vision of Arkansas’s future. It’s a future built on education, innovation, and opportunity.
Clark County should be proud of its agricultural education heritage, hopeful for its workforce future, and supportive of its FFA programs. Supporting those programs and those students is not charity—it is an investment in our shared future.
Let’s keep that investment growing.
— Eric Hughes is chairman of the Arkansas FFA Foundation
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