Through her support of the John de la Howe School Foundation, Billie Rae Gerstenberger is helping advance agricultural education, student opportunity, and campus life at the SC Governor’s School for Agriculture—continuing a legacy that began during her own childhood at John de la Howe.

McCormick County farmers Douglass and Paulette Britt are longtime supporters of the South Carolina Governor’s School for Agriculture at John de la Howe, giving in ways that allow the school to respond to its greatest needs, strengthening students, programs and the working farm that defines hands-on agricultural learning. By Abigail Cannon McCormick, S.C. — When you drive onto the Britt family farm, a white farmhouse built in the 1930s greets you like an old friend. The home, known simply as...

Agricultural education is not simply about preserving tradition. It is about preparing people , and without preparation, agriculture as we know it becomes fragile. Across South Carolina and the nation, agriculture is facing a convergence of pressures: an aging workforce, fewer young people entering the field, and rapidly increasing technical and business complexity. These challenges are widely documented by researchers, universities, and industry leaders, and they all point to the same...