STEM Academy freshmen tour Montgomery County tobacco farm

Raising tobacco, from the start of the original 13 American colonies to today, has always been hands-on, hard work. This week, 47 high-achieving freshmen from the STEM Academy at Kenwood High School, along with school officials and teachers, toured the Southern Lights Farm on Rossview Road in northeast Montgomery County to learn more about raising tobacco. Christi Fordhan, administrator for the STEM Academy, said the students have been researching agriculture from the beginning of human history to the time of agricultural societies.

“We chose to look at tobacco not only because it is grown locally, but the role in establishing the United States and how it has impacted Southern culture and the money involved in the tobacco market,” Fordham said. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and math, and the academy is a Clarksville-Montgomery County School System initiative to provide specialized training to students with a particular interest in and an aptitude for the topics. When the students arrived at the Southern Lights Farm, they were greeted by owner Jerry Stuard and taken by hay bale trailer to a tobacco barn.

Students filed in and around as Stuard explained the process of the hanging tobacco. “One thing about farming, is that every season is different.” Stuard explained how his 28 farmhands work daily to keep fires going in 20 tobacco barns without losing a barn to fire. “There is that risk, and we have had to replace a barn,” he said. Students asked complex questions about trapped gases and ventilation – like what keeps the fire from reaching the hanging tobacco? Stuard explained they use hardwoods and proper sawdust, and they water at the right time.

 This was the first time up close to see a smoking barn for student Jacqueline Krantz. “The smell goes right to your stomach and to the back of your throat,” she said. Fordham said, “We wanted to bring the students to see a real job operation. They have been talking about how agriculture affects society and how culture has been shaped ... in the last century technology has massively impacted how we do agriculture, not just here but all around the world.”