Yuma County Farm Bureau President becomes local AG teacher
In this week’s Home Grown, one local farmer is heading back to school to influence the future generations of farmers and agriculture experts. We hear what he hopes his real world experience will teach his students.
Most people know Cecil Pratt as the current President of the Yuma County Farm Bureau, but as the school bell rings you can find him spending more time in a classroom than out in the fields.
“How can I best influence the future of this industry? Should I triple the size of my farm and make it efficient, that’s a possibility. But I am beginning to think that if I can deliver to industry 30-40 students a year for the next five, 10, 15 years and play a key role in their emotional, educational development, I believe I might possibly have the greatest impact in this industry, in this role here as a teacher in San Luis,” Agriculture business teacher at San Luis High School, Cecil Pratt told 13 On Your Side.
His new role is the Agricultural teacher and also FFA Advisor at SLHS.
“I love agriculture and I know agriculture pretty well, hopefully better than most and I am excited to be able to work with students and teach them about an industry that I love,” Pratt said.
He will continue to hold a position on the Arizona State Farm Bureau board and as Vice President of the Yuma County Farm Bureau.
“Agriculture is in my blood. I am third generation on the farm,” he said.
As students fill the empty seats, he hopes his experience in the industry will inspire future farmers.
“There’s just something unique about agriculture,” he said. “Whether you are out irrigating at night and there is nobody around or you are getting up early in the morning and you fill the fields full of bales, it’s just an amazing industry,” he added.
Pratt hopes to enlighten his students about all of the job opportunities in the agriculture industry.
“This is an incredibly vast industry with lots of opportunities and with technologies the opportunities are just increasing on an almost daily basis a nd if I can communicate the opportunity for a student to become passionate about something that they love to do and then teach them how to really be a player for the organization they work with, excellent work ethic, skills, it would be a great opportunity for them and myself I hope,” he shared.
This is also a very special year for the Pratt family. Not only will Mr. Pratt be in his first year of teaching, but also his daughter will also be in her first year of teaching at Gila Ridge High School.
