Nov 20, 2025
Leaders host groundbreaking for new Ag Farm
Before oil and gas, this region of West Texas was centered on agriculture – ranching and cattle – and today’s Agriculture programs in ECISD are building on that rich heritage. Soon the district will begin literal building on that heritage with construction of a sparkling new Ag Farm facility.
Thursday afternoon, school district officials and community members hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for the project, battling the wind but celebrating this $7.5 million project approved by voters as part of Bond 2023.
“This new facility will serve as a place for real-world learning, industry-aligned skill development, and community engagement,” said ECISD Superintendent Dr. Keeley Boyer. “It will open doors for generations of students who will develop leadership, responsibility, and technical expertise through their experiences here.”
“We can help teach kids everything from the animal side to the plant side [to] business,” said Agriculture Science Teacher and FFA Advisor Blair Lawson. “These facilities will help us cover every part of agriculture and give these students some really great experience.”
Currently 315 students are enrolled in Animal and Plant Science courses. This bond project includes a new academic building with classrooms, an animal clinic, a covered show area, and barn spaces designed to meet program needs. The site is three acres, the new academic building will be about 7,500 square feet and the barns and arena will cover more than 17,000 square feet. The Ag Farm design committee with deep roots in the agriculture community of West Texas offered invaluable advice to district leaders and architects.
“Growing up in Floyd County in Floydada, Texas, when we had an FFA jacket on we were hot stuff,” said ECISD school board president Tammy Hawkins. “So, to stand with these people with these FFA jackets I feel I’m among the elite.”
One of the students in attendance today was Permian High School junior Kamryn Briggs who is also an Odessa FFA officer. “I want to be a vet and that’s why I joined this program,” she said. “It’s awesome to see the farm grow with me being here. I’m very happy for everybody here, the teachers and everybody else and I think it’s well deserved.”
Demolition for Building Phase A has begun, construction is scheduled to begin soon and continue through next summer.