By Shelby Shank
Field Editor
College students from across the state got a firsthand look at agriculture in North Texas during the 2026 Texas Farm Bureau (TFB) Collegiate Ag Tour.
Students from Texas A&M University, Texas Tech University, West Texas A&M University, Tarleton State University and Sam Houston State University were in attendance.
The four-day event exposes college students to agriculture in a different region of Texas each year.
“Collegiate Ag Tour offers college students a unique opportunity to apply classroom learning and bring back insights from tour stops to their universities,” McKenna Hunter, TFB Leadership coordinator, said. “This event is available to Collegiate Farm Bureau chapters in Texas and showcases the diversity of agriculture throughout our state.”
This year’s tour included stops in and around Fort Worth.
At the Cowboy Channel, participants went behind the scenes to learn how agricultural and western sports stories are shared with a national audience. The visit highlighted the role media plays in connecting consumers to agriculture and showcasing the western way of life.
“We got to see the communications side of agriculture, and it was interesting to learn how they serve as a voice for western sports and how that industry is growing,” said John Andrew Isles, a junior at Sam Houston State University.
Students also visited the historic Fort Worth Stockyards and Cowtown Coliseum, where they learned about the area’s historic cattle industry and its lasting impact on Texas agriculture. The stops offered insight into how tradition and tourism continue to support the local economy and grow agricultural awareness.
“We explored the Fort Worth Stockyards, which was a fun experience and a great way to see that side of agriculture and history,” said Olivia Lopez, a freshman at Texas A&M University. “At Cowtown Coliseum, we learned about how they market their events and connect with their audience, as well as the number of rodeos and events they host throughout the year. It really showed how much work goes on behind the scenes.”
A stop at Ranchbot Monitoring Solutions introduced students to technology in agriculture, including remote water monitoring systems that help ranchers track water levels and improve efficiency in pasture management.
“It was really cool to see how they’re helping make agriculture more efficient and allowing ranchers to do more with less and ultimately improve profitability,” Isles said.
Participants also toured MBS Seed Cleaning and Rainey Farms, where they learned about seed cleaning processes, crop production and the importance of quality inputs in successful farming operations.
“They bring the seeds in, clean them, then package and distribute them. It was neat to see how that process works and how the product moves through the system,” Isles said. “Coming from a non-agricultural background, getting to see things I wouldn’t normally experience in a classroom, like MBS Seed Cleaning, was really interesting.”
At Goober Bub’s U-Pick, students learned about strawberry production and agritourism, gaining perspective on direct-to-consumer marketing and growing interest in farm-based experiences.
“We talked about the challenges of growing strawberries in Texas, but also how operations like this allow customers to pick their own fruit while learning more about agriculture,” Lopez said. “Where I’m from, we grow a lot of citrus, so it was interesting to see a different aspect of agriculture in another region of the state.”
The tour also included community service activities. The students volunteered at the Tarrant Area Food Bank and Opals’ Farm.
“Tarrant Area Food Bank primarily serves Denton, Tarrant and Parker counties, along with several others, helping feed millions of people each year,” Isles said. “While we were there, we helped sort through donated food to determine what could be used, then repackaged it and prepared it for distribution.”
The tour provided the students a broader understanding of agriculture beyond their everyday perspective.
“As someone who does not come from an agricultural background, Collegiate Ag Tour was a great opportunity to learn more about agriculture, but also agriculture in urban areas like Dallas-Fort Worth,” Lopez said. “It’s so much different than sitting in a classroom and learning about agriculture. We were boots on the ground, seeing firsthand how agriculture works and the people who make it all happen.”
The tour was held March 18-21.
Learn more about TFB collegiate opportunities at texasfarmbureau.org/collegiate.
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