Peebles FFA Shifts to Pasture-Raised Poultry, Upgrades Processing Infrastructure

Peebles FFA is expanding a decade-plus poultry program after securing a $50,000 grant from the Public Health Fund of Ohio and a $25,000 award from the Southern Ohio Agricultural and Community Development Foundation. Peebles High School agricultural educator Rebecca Minton said, "This is an expansion of that piece. The grant is funding for us to move from doing broilers in our greenhouse to a pasture raised poultry system."

Students in the Peebles chapter have run the broiler project for more than a decade. Minton told reporters, "We have raised broilers for over twelve years, almost fifteen. The students raise, process, harvest, do all the things, and package those." Historically the chapter raised broilers once a year; Ohio FFA reports the new funding makes it possible to raise broilers multiple times during the school year.

Peebles Messenger announced the $50,000 award on December 18, 2025 and provided an itemized list of equipment the grant would allow the program to purchase: "compact tractor, mobile broiler house with watering and feeding systems, vacuum packing machine, chill tanks, eviscerating table, commercial freezer, packaging materials, feed, and other supplies critical to the success of the project." State FFA reporting adds that the additional $25,000 grant will support meat processing equipment purchases to educate students and support the local community.

The infrastructure purchases are intended both for expanded on-campus instruction and for community food support. Chapter president Matthew Hudgel said, "By having our harvesting and processing system in place, each student will have a hands-on experience and learn about food safety, meat cuts and proper storage requirements. We want all our student members to be smart consumers who can utilize these skills later in life." Peebles teachers Rebecca Minton and Tyler Ryan have described the grants as major upgrades that will reshape how students raise and manage broilers.

Community outreach has been a running outcome of the Peebles FFA project. Ohio FFA records show the chapter donated approximately 50 broilers to a local food pantry in fall 2021 and has donated more than 500 whole broilers over the last decade. The program’s social media announcement accompanying the December grant post drew robust local engagement, showing 180 reactions, 9 comments, and 11 shares in the post excerpt.

Looking ahead, the chapter plans to convert the pasture program and processing upgrades into broader student economic opportunities. A Peebles FFA social post states, "This initiative lays the foundation for a student-operated agricultural co-op, which we plan to launch in the fall of 2026 following the establishment of our pasture poultry program." The co-op is presented as a vehicle for students to earn income and develop entrepreneurial and workforce skills while increasing local food production.

The expansion builds on prior grant activity; Ohio FFA notes Minton applied for and received an Ohio FFA Foundation ARCOP grant in 2021. Peebles FFA leaders say the combined funding and new equipment will allow teachers and students at Peebles High School to deepen meat science instruction, increase production cycles, and continue donating product to local food partners.