The Villages Charter School is taking agriculture education to the next level with a state-of-the-art hydroponic fodder farm. This innovative facility allows students to experience modern feed production and agricultural technology firsthand.
Integrated into the school’s agriscience and animal science programs, the modular system fosters experiential learning while introducing students to controlled environment agriculture and its importance for resilient food systems.
Designed and manufactured by FarmBox Foods, the fodder farm is part of a larger initiative that includes deploying hydroponic fodder farms and vertical hydroponic farms across four Sumter County Schools.
The Villages Charter School, a K-12 workforce development hub, serves as an economic development tool for The Villages community, educating children whose parents work for The Villages corporation or its partner businesses.
Heather Chastain, who teaches agriscience foundations, agritechnology, and animal science, emphasizes that while the region is experiencing rapid growth, farming and livestock traditions remain strong, and residents remain deeply connected to agriculture. Her students are using the fodder farm as a research and production tool to study how the school’s livestock respond to feed with higher vitamin and mineral content. They’re growing fresh barley fodder on-site and evaluating its potential to reduce feed costs and replace hay during winter when pasture grass is dormant.
The decision to purchase a fodder farm was partly driven by challenges following recent hurricanes, which caused flooding and limited access to grazing areas for extended periods.
Indoor feed production lets the program keep supporting livestock even when fields are inaccessible, making it better prepared for future storms. It also gives neighboring programs a helping hand during disruptions by keeping feed production going all year round.
Thanks to a partnership with Sumter County Schools, led by Casey Ferguson, director of career and technical education and adult education, the system got about $1.7 million in grant funding. Ferguson looked at different container farming solutions and found FarmBox Foods to be the best fit for both educational goals and practical needs across the district.
Students have quickly taken charge of the system. Two students take care of daily and weekly maintenance, while others help during harvest and feeding. The technology has attracted students who might not usually be interested in traditional animal agriculture because it emphasizes automation, data, and problem-solving. School leaders see the FarmBox Foods fodder farm as a great way to show how agriculture and technology are connected and to start conversations about resilience, sustainability, innovation, and food security in small rural communities.
If you want to know more about the program or schedule an interview with the school’s leadership, email Dr. Kelly Colley at kelly.colley@tvcs.org.
