Ag business students gain entrepreneurship skills

Agricultural business students in Otto-Eldred Jr./Sr. High School are putting classroom studies into practice by producing handmade items and selling them in their store, The Rustic Duck Co., during the holiday season. According to an article in the Bradford Era, the 12 students in grades 9-12 made artisan-quality milk-based soaps and vegetable-based candles that filled a consumer need, based on a marketing study by the Penn State Extension. Items are packaged and labeled with post-consumer cardboard and paper. The company logo was created by the students in partnership with a graphic design professional, and a website was developed to market and sell the products. The learning experience was funded by a $500 grant from Real World Scholars through the Ed Corps program.