Jacob Ball’s passion for agriculture began years before his teaching career, growing up on his family’s small farm in Culvertown, Kentucky, just over an hour from Lexington. In high school, he enrolled in agriculture courses and joined his local Future Farmers of America (FFA) chapter. Encouraged by influential educators, he pursued his two lifelong passions: teaching and agriculture.
Ball now serves as the Executive Director of the Bluegrass AgTech Development Corp, a nonprofit focused on advancing innovation and entrepreneurship in agriculture across Kentucky. His leadership builds on more than a decade of classroom experience, most recently as the agriculture teacher at Carter G. Woodson Academy in Fayette County Public Schools, where he was serving at the time of receiving the Milken Educator Award.
At Carter G. Woodson, Ball taught agriculture to students in grades 6 through 12, most of whom were young men of color. He was deeply committed to exposing his students to the vast range of opportunities within agricultural careers. His students consistently exceeded expectations, with 100 percent passing end-of-year exams during his final year of teaching, compared to just over half the year before. Several earned full scholarships to HBCUs.
Ball’s curriculum highlighted minority contributions to agriculture and included the creation of an Agriculture Wall of Fame recognizing Hispanic and African American farmers. He brought creativity and hands-on learning to the classroom, from building agritourism projects in Minecraft to launching a student-run hydroponic farm that supplied produce to local businesses.
He also extended learning well beyond the classroom. Ball helped launch a Junior MANRRS chapter in partnership with the University of Kentucky and founded the school’s FFA chapter. His students completed 140 agriculture projects across the state in a single year, totaling more than 3,000 hours of experiential learning. That work culminated in a study abroad trip to Ireland for nine students through the Agriculture in Ireland summer tour.
Ball is a National Board Certified Teacher. He earned a Bachelor of Science in agricultural education (2011) and an education specialist degree in administration (2018) from the University of Kentucky, as well as a Master of Arts in education from the University of the Cumberlands in 2015.
Press release: Agriculture Teacher Jacob Ball Sows Seeds of Success in Lexington, Kentucky, Earning $25,000 Milken Educator Award
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