Rockingham Cooperative Awards 2025-2026 Ag Production Education Grants
Rockingham Cooperative is proud to announce the recipients of the 2025-2026 Agriculture Production Education Grant Program. These grants provide funding to support capital improvement projects in school-operated land labs, ensuring students have access to high-quality, hands-on agricultural learning opportunities.
Supporting the Future of Agriculture
Through this program, Rockingham Cooperative invests directly in the success of local agricultural education programs. These funds help strengthen facilities and provide students with the tools and experiences they need to build future careers in agriculture.
2025-2026 Grant Recipients
This year, we are excited to support the following schools and projects:
Appomattox County High School (Appomattox County, VA) - Excavation and Site Prep for new 12,500 sq ft land lab facilities
Buffalo Gap High School (Augusta County, VA) - Fencing project for additional grazing pasture
Hampshire County High School (Hampshire County, WV) - Purchase of a trailer for facility use
Highland County High School (Highland County, VA) - Purchase of a chicken coop on school facilities
Turner Ashby High School (Rockingham County, VA) - Purchase of cattle working chute for land lab facilities
United Christian Academy (Greene County, VA) - Greenhouse facility expenses for new agricultural program
Warren County Middle School (Warren County, VA) - Construction of mobile chicken coop
Wilson Memorial High School (Augusta County, VA) - Insulation of barn facilities and water lines
Voices from the Classroom
Our grant recipients shared their excitement and gratitude for the opportunity to strengthen their programs. Here’s what a few of them had to say:
“Our 26 agricultural students were absolutely thrilled to have received funding from Rockingham Co-op. The school administrators were very proud to receive the funds. We thank them very much!”
- Norman Branham, Science Teacher @ United Christian Academy
“This project will greatly enhance our land lab by adding essential equipment that allows students to safely and effectively work with livestock. The addition of a cattle chute will create authentic learning opportunities that students will encounter in the fi eld of production agriculture. The overall educational experience will be elevated by allowing students to apply classroom knowledge in real, practical experiences.”
- Kendall Simmons, Agriculture Educator @ Turner Ashby High School
“By insulating our barn, we are creating a more reliable environment for housing and managing livestock. This stability allows our students to focus on daily care, breeding projects, and recordkeeping without the setbacks of extreme weather. Whether they are working with show animals or managing our pig breeding operation, students are gaining authentic, hands-on experiences that prepare them for future opportunities in agriculture.”
- Brandon Strosnider, Barn Manager & Agriculture Educator @ Wilson Memorial
Looking Ahead
Rockingham Cooperative is honored to partner with local agricultural education programs to invest in the next generation of agricultural leaders. We believe these projects will have a lasting impact on students, schools, and the communities they serve.
Each year Rockingham Cooperative partners with CoBank, and their Sharing Success matching funds program, to distribute these funds to worthwhile agricultural education production programs in our service area.
To learn more about the Agriculture Production Education Grant program and future application opportunities, visit rockinghamcoop.com/ag-ed-prod-grant-2025
