COLUMBIA, S.C. – Governor Henry McMaster today held a ceremonial bill signing for S. 613, which creates the Governor’s School for Agriculture at John De La Howe in McCormick, South Carolina. The school - the first of its kind in the country - is a public residential high school that provides an agriculture education program for students in grades 10 through 12.

“The creation of the Governor’s School for Agriculture will go a long way in shaping the future of South Carolina’s superior agriculture industry,” said Governor Henry McMaster. "This investment will not only facilitate unprecedented opportunities for our young people but will provide one of our state’s most important industries with a highly skilled workforce for generations to come.”

The school sits on 1,310 acres of forest and farmland, allowing students to receive hands-on training in the fields of agribusiness, forestry, equipment operation, land management, food science, and more. The mission of the school is to provide a quality agricultural education that will enable its students to be the state’s future leaders in agribusiness, business, and education.

“As a live-in learning laboratory, the Governor’s School for Agriculture at John De La Howe will nurture students' commitment to agriculture, ensuring a strong future for agribusiness in our state,” said Commissioner of Agriculture Hugh Weathers. “Agribusiness is South Carolina’s No. 1 industry, with a $46.2 million annual economic impact. I’m excited to see how the young people at John De La Howe can help push South Carolina forward.”

The Governor’s School for Agriculture is South Carolina’s third Governor’s school, joining the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities, and the South Carolina Governor’s School for Science and Mathematics.

“By passing this legislation and creating South Carolina’s third governor’s school, we’ve sent a message to our children that it’s never too late to be what you could have been and it’s never too early to start,” said Sen. Gerald Malloy, chief sponsor of the bill. “The seeds that will be planted from this school are the seeds that you’ll see later on as leaders here in our great state.”

The bill also creates a Development Office for the Governor’s School for Science and Mathematics, located in Hartsville, S.C. The Development Office will raise support for an endowment fund.

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