It’s been years since anyone from the Marietta FFA program used the “old” farm site on
Highway 32 at the east edge of town – so long that a lot of people didn’t even know that
the school owned the approximately 10 acre parcel of land. So when FFA Advisor Josh
Bazor approached Superintendent Brandi Naylor about making better use of it, she was
receptive.
“The old ag farm property had not served a significant purpose for our district for a long
tie, and when Mr. Bazor approached me about the possibility of selling the property and
reinvesting the money into the ag program, I didn’t have to think long,” said Naylor. “It
was an easy ‘yes’.”
The next step in the process was having the property appraised and putting it out for
public bid. By school law, to accept an offer, that offer had to be at least 75 percent of
the appraised value, and the one public bid they received did not meet that qualification,
so the school was able to take private offers, one of which met the statutory obligations
and was accepted.
The proceeds from the sale will be funneled back into the ag program, and Bazor
already has a list of improvements to make, things like a generator for the greenhouse,
motors for overhead doors in the shop, building and bathroom updates, enclosing a
portion of the south shop for a lab, and several more.
“It was a tough decision to sell the school farm, but it made sense, and the money from
the sale can be invested into capital improvements at our school facility,” said Bazor,
“things that will give us one of the best ag facilities in the state and meet the current
needs of our program.”
Although Bazor’s list is lengthy and the money likely won’t stretch to cover everything,
items will be prioritized, and they’ll stretch it as far as they possibly can.
“Our FFA program is one of the most successful we have on campus,” Naylor stated.
“Mr. Bazor, Ms. Kamesch, and our ag kids take great care to maintain and manage their
facility already, and we know that any improvements we can make will be cared for just
as well, and will be used to make the program even better. So this time and any time in
the future that we are able to invest in the ag program and facilities, we’re going to take
advantage of that opportunity.”