Above: Pictured left to right are Gill Finley, program leader, community economic development, Kentucky State University; Lynsey Crumbie, state specialist, entrepreneurship, Kentucky State University; Marcus Tyler, customer resource manager, Farm Credit Mid-America; Safe, 5th-grade student, Luhr Elementary; Dr. Koffi C. Akakpo, president, Kentucky State University; and Jennifer Helgeson, president, Junior Achievement of Kentuckiana.
Farm Credit Mid-America, Kentucky State University and Junior Achievement of Kentuckiana celebrated the opening of the new Urban Agriculture Discovery Center at JA BizTown® with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026.
The Urban Agriculture Discovery Center is a storefront within JA’s BizTown simulation that will deliver immersive, hands-on agricultural education to students in Kentucky and southern Indiana. During the 2025-2026 school year, more than 14,000 students and volunteers participated in JA BizTown.
The Urban Agriculture Discovery Center was designed to increase agricultural knowledge and career awareness, strengthen financial literacy and entrepreneurial skills related to agriculture and create a sustainable, replicable model for agricultural education and workforce development.
“Farm Credit Mid-America is dedicated to preparing the next generation of agricultural leaders through strategic investments like this one,” said Marcus Tyler, customer resource manager at Farm Credit Mid-America. “By equipping students with strong financial and business knowledge, while exposing them to agricultural career opportunities, we can help build the skills, confidence and professional networks they need to pursue meaningful careers and contribute to the future of agriculture.”
Developed under the leadership of Lynsey Crumbie, state specialist in agricultural entrepreneurship at Kentucky State University, the Urban Ag Discovery Center allows students to experience what it takes to operate a successful agricultural business. Participants assume roles such as CEO, agricultural lender or certified public accountant, farmer and veterinary professional while learning how to build a brand, manage resources and respond to the needs of their community.
According to Junior Achievement of Kentucky, students will explore concepts including supply and demand, financial literacy, teamwork and problem-solving while discovering how Kentucky-grown and Kentucky-raised products contribute to local communities and the state’s economy. The experience also introduces students to hydroponic growing methods, sustainable agriculture and the important role pollinators and other organisms play in maintaining healthy ecosystems.
Despite agriculture’s central role in Kentucky’s economy and culture, many youth lack meaningful exposure to agricultural careers, local food systems and the financial realities of agribusiness ownership. The Urban Ag Discovery Center addresses this need by integrating agricultural literacy into an established, high-impact youth education platform. Through this approach, thousands of students each year will engage in agriculture not as an abstract concept, but as a dynamic and viable career pathway.
Above: Pictured left to right are Hannah Walker, community investment manager, Farm Credit Mid-America; Lynsey Crumbie, state specialist, entrepreneurship, Kentucky State University; and Marcus Tyler, customer resource manager, Farm Credit Mid-America.
“We are proud to partner with Junior Achievement of Kentuckiana and Farm Credit Mid-America to bring agriculture, business and innovation together in a way that is meaningful for students,” said Dr. Koffi C. Akakpo, president of Kentucky State University.
In addition to financial support through their Community Investment program, Farm Credit Mid-America contributed to the financial literacy curriculum by providing real-world financial resources and documents to support student learning and offer practical insight into agricultural lending.
By integrating Farm Credit Mid-America’s expertise and resources into both program design and student engagement, the partnership enhances educational quality, expands program reach and strengthens the center’s overall impact.
To learn more about Farm Credit Mid-America’s commitment to growing the leaders of tomorrow, visit our Next Generation community page.
