Growing agricultural opportunity in Clare and Gladwin Counties
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EmailIn the heart of the Mitten, one educator’s partnership with MSU Extension is helping students discover their place in agriculture.
When Sarah Hollon talks about her work, she doesn’t rattle off a job title. She dives headfirst into the importance of agriculture and connecting with students who are still figuring out where they fit.
“It’s about building a basic understanding of what agriculture is and the career opportunities within it,” Hollon said. “Because ag is so broad, it allows for anyone to have a place. Everyone can find a home in agriculture.”
Hollon serves as president of the Clare County Farm Bureau and teaches career and technical education (CTE) agricultural science to juniors and seniors across Clare and Gladwin Counties.
While her work emphasizes animal science, she loves to introduce students to agriculture as a broad, evolving field that includes everything from science and conservation to technology and skilled trades.
“I tell students: I know there’s a place for you in agriculture. We just need to find where it is,” Hollon said.
Finding her way through agriculture
The belief that agriculture is a place for everyone grew out of Hollon’s own path. Growing up in Mio, in Oscoda County, she was deeply involved in agriculture and youth programs.
“I was a 4-H member from the time they let me in to the time they kicked me out,” she said.
Still, her professional journey took time to take shape.
“I’m a late bloomer in finding my career,” she said.
In high school, Hollon thought she’d become a vet. Then she explored business classes, considered running her own farm and completed internships with Organic Valley and the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture. Later, she worked in a county treasurer’s office.
“I enjoyed it,” she said, “but I missed being in agriculture.”
The turning point came when she saw a paraprofessional opening in an agricultural science program.
“I figured I’d give it a shot, so I stepped into it right as COVID hit,” she said. “But right away, I knew that this is where I want to be. I want to be in ag education.”
Hollon returned to school with a mission, earning her master’s degree in agricultural education from Michigan State University, as it was the prime destination for “so many ag educators.”
Where every student belongs
Hollon credits her own experiences with helping her connect with students who feel pressure to have everything figured out.
“Sometimes the kids in our program have been raised in ag and 4-H,” Hollon said. “On the flip side, we also have kids who haven’t touched an animal outside of a cat or dog.”
Some students enroll simply to meet a requirement, although they often end up with a wealth of knowledge and experience.
“They may take the class because they get a credit and don’t want to take chemistry,” she said. “[But] by the end of the year, they’ve participated in every FFA event and fair opportunity. Even if they don’t go into ag professionally, they carry it with them. They know about issues of conservation and water usage. They see things from different points of view. They’re learning life skills that stay with them.”
Those skills matter in places like Clare and Gladwin Counties, where resources are often limited.
“The biggest thing here is opportunity,” Hollon said. “Flat out, we live in poorer communities. Underfunded schools, underfunded programs. So being able to have kids spend time outside of school going to ag events and contests, making career connections… it’s so important.”
The power of partnership
Strong community partnerships, like that with Michigan State University Extension, only enrich those opportunities available to students.
“If I were to pick one word to describe Extension, it’d be support,” she said. “Anything you want to do, Extension has some sort of support for that.”
And that support takes many forms, from curriculum enrichment to hands-on expertise.
“Even if I don’t know someone who focuses on dairy, I can get ahold of Extension,” she said. “If I really want to teach kids about canning, I can look to Extension to find the right person.”
That partnership is especially visible through Project RED, a Farm Bureau–based rural education day Hollon has helped organize and run for several years. The program serves fifth-grade students from Clare County, Farwell and Harrison, who gather at the Clare-Gladwin RESD Magnus Center. Hundreds of students rotate through hands-on stations every 10 to 15 minutes to learn about various facets of agriculture.
“This last year, we had [a station] on bees and drones,” she said. “We had hunting safety, making butter and dairy, animal conservation. [MSU Extension educators] also did one for maple syrup and for beef.”
For many students, it’s their first exposure to agriculture.
“It opens their eyes to things they didn’t know existed,” Hollon said. “And we would not have the program we have without Extension.”
Looking ahead, Hollon is focused on growing these programs for students, as well as the partnerships with organizations like MSU Extension.
“MSU Extension matters because it offers opportunities to children and adults that other organizations can’t offer,” she said.
“It offers community and a sense of belonging for individuals that they won’t find elsewhere. It brings people together in ways that really matter.”
