Recently fifteen students from the Polk County High Agriculture Program toured the Mountain Horticultural Crops Research Center near Fletcher, NC. The students are all part of the Horticulture II class taught by Chauncey Barber.

As part of the tour the students were able to observe the work being done in the vegetable, fruit and ornamental research world. Polk students visited the tissue culture lab where scientists are developing new plants for both the nursery and bio-fuels industries. Tours of both the tomato and ornamental greenhouses gave students an opportunity to see some of the most recent work in the world of plant breeding. Lastly the group was able to taste test many new varieties of apples, grown on the research property but new to Western North Carolina.

One of the goals of our Ag program at Polk County High School is to show students the current methods of farming as well as those new crops and methods to be used in the future, said Chauncey Barber. The kids always come away from this trip learning something that we could not gain from the classroom.

The Biotech Class from PCHS, along with their instructor Jennifer Allsbrook, also took part in the field trip. The Horticulture II students were accompanied by their teacher, Chauncey Barber and Polk County Extension Director John Vining.