Amanda Pevey
Elmore Autauga News
A new livestock teaching lab at Billingsley School is set to expand opportunities for students interested in agriculture, offering hands-on experience with livestock while also creating a partnership with local farmers and producers.
The Livestock Teaching Lab, currently under construction, is designed to serve as a real-world learning environment for students in the school’s agriscience program. The lab will serve as an experiential learning environment where students in the program can apply classroom knowledge while working directly with animals.
Ground was broken in fall 2025, and school administrators expect the facility to be completed in late spring or early summer 2026.
Once finished, the lab will allow students to house and care for show livestock, including cattle, sheep, goats, and pigs, directly on campus. The facility is expected to make livestock projects more accessible to students who may not have adequate space or equipment at home.
By providing a safe and well-equipped place for students to raise and exhibit animals, the program helps ensure that more students can participate in agricultural education and livestock exhibition.
“This facility is going to revolutionize our Agriscience program and give our students the opportunity to develop hands-on skills they can apply in Alabama’s most important industry, agriculture,” said Agriscience Teacher and FFA Advisor Logan Strock.
The teaching lab will function as a small on-campus farm where students can practice livestock management skills such as nutrition planning, animal health care, and reproduction management. Educators say the experience will help students better understand modern livestock production while preparing them for careers in agriculture and related industries.
The program has also received support from the MidSouth RC&D Council through a grant that funded the purchase of a livestock working facility. The equipment will allow local cattle producers who lack proper handling facilities to safely work their cattle on site. When producers bring animals to the lab, students will be able to assist with real livestock management tasks.
An additional grant from MidSouth RC&D, awarded last year, provided funding for a 24-foot aluminum livestock trailer to support the program and the new facility.
School leaders say the project is designed not only as a teaching tool but also as a resource for the surrounding agricultural community.
“This partnership creates a mutually beneficial relationship between the Billingsley Agriscience Program and the surrounding community. Local producers gain access to needed infrastructure, while students gain valuable hands-on learning opportunities that reflect the realities of the livestock industry,” said Strock.
Support for the project has come from several local and state partners, including Rep. Van Smith, Sen. Clyde Chambliss, Autauga County Schools Superintendent Lyman Woodfin, the Autauga County Board of Education, the Autauga County Cattlemen’s Association, and the MidSouth RC&D Council.
As construction continues, educators say the facility represents an investment not only in Billingsley students but also in the future of agriculture in the community they call home.
