OXFORD – Over the past three years, the Oxford Academy and Central School’s Future Farmers of America (FFA) Chapter, has seen a resurgence in participation. Under the stewardship of agriculture teacher and FFA chapter advisor Crystal Aukema, the program has been revitalized and was recognized in September for its new-found vitality by visiting National FFA emissaries. The chapter recently has received confirmation it has been awarded a $2,500 grant from the National FFA Organization. The grant funds the chapter’s successful ‘Oxford Fresh’ project.

“Oxford Fresh is sort of a spin-off from a SUNY Morrisville project,” said Aukema. “The kids get to go to Morrisville and see what they have done there.”

As part of the Oxford Fresh project, students cultivate and harvest food in a greenhouse, using hydroponic systems. The students grow the vegetables in water, allowing them to experiment, and compare their outcomes with results obtained from growing vegetables in dirt.