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Board renews farm lease; FFA to continue hands‑on work on 35‑acre Rose Street parcel
Summary
The school board approved an annual farm lease with the FFA for 35 acres off Rose Street. The lease rate is $35 per year and the district described the parcel as an outdoor classroom where students participate from planting through harvest.
The Owatonna Public School District board on April 28 approved an annual farm lease that allows the FFA and a contract farmer to operate 35 acres of district land on Rose Street for educational purposes.
Mark Stotz, the district’s director of finance and operations, said the lease payment is $35 per year—about $1 per acre—and that FFA students play an active role “from the planting all the way through harvest.” He described the parcel as a valuable experiential learning site for agricultural education.
Board members praised the partnership and noted the arrangement gives students hands‑on access to agricultural practices while a contract farmer handles day‑to‑day field work. Stotz told the board participants in the program had complimented the district’s handling of the lease process.
A motion to approve the farm lease agreement with FFA carried on a voice vote. Mover and seconder were not specified in the record. The board did not attach conditions to the lease during the approval.
