Sterling middle school celebrates AG Day with local partners

Sterling Middle School turned 1177 Pawnee Ave. into a hands-on recruiting ground for Logan County’s future workforce, bringing together Sterling High School AG students, the Northeastern Junior College Equine Riding Team and Sterling firefighters for AG Day. A Sterling Police Department officer, identified as Officer Fleharty, also took part in the event’s lighter moments, underscoring how many local careers can intersect with the county’s agriculture base.

The day gave middle schoolers direct exposure to agriculture, horses, riding and roping, but it also sent a broader message about the jobs that keep Sterling running. In a county where agriculture remains central to daily life and the local economy, early exposure matters. Schools, first responders and college programs are working to show students that farm-related work, animal care, emergency services and other community jobs are not abstract possibilities, but real career paths rooted in Logan County.

Northeastern Junior College’s equine program, based in Sterling, was part of that effort. The program offers students hands-on experience in the classroom and in the arena, making it one of the area’s most visible examples of how education and workforce training overlap. That connection was on display as middle school students watched and learned alongside NJC riders, Sterling High School AG students and firefighters, all of whom helped turn the event into a live demonstration of local skills and local opportunity.

National Agriculture Day is recognized each year as a way for producers, agricultural associations, universities, government agencies and others to celebrate agriculture’s role in communities across the country. In Sterling, that national backdrop gave extra weight to a school event built around the same theme: getting young people familiar with the people, animals and equipment that support the region’s farm economy. A similar Ag Day event in Sterling has previously involved Northeastern Junior College Agriculture, Logan County 4-H Extension and other community partners, showing the outreach has become part of the area’s playbook for introducing students to agriculture early.