On Friday, March 31, 2023, two area schools participated in the inaugural Youth Cooperative Leadership Experience (YCLE) hosted by The Ohio State University, CFAES Center for Cooperatives at OSU South Centers in Piketon, OH. More than 30 students of the Ohio Valley Career and Technical Center and Peebles High School spent the day learning about cooperative careers within the agricultural industry and learning more about agricultural education and research that is conducted at the campus.
That morning, students were able to tour the facility to learn more about the research that is conducted there. Researchers and OSU staff hosted stations around the facility for students to participate and learn more about aquaponics, sugar testing in fruits, color composition and fruit DNA, soil testing, and planting of microgreens.
Over lunch and into the afternoon, students were able to engage with local cooperative representatives and participate in a career fair to learn more about the cooperative model and employment opportunities.
A generous thank you to those cooperatives and individuals that participated in the career fair portion of the day's event. Thank you to Adams Rural Electric Cooperative, Atomic Credit Union, Dairy Farmers of America, Farm Credit Mid-America, South Central Power Company, OSU ATI, and OSU South Centers.