Progressive Farmer magazine has named the Jessamine Career & Technology Center in Nicholasville as one of the best places in the country to learn about agriculture.

The center, a school in the Jessamine County school district, focuses on careers in agribiotechnology, business and finance, health and human services, information technology, marketing, biomedical sciences and pre-engineering.

The Jessamine school was listed by the magazine among "five of our favorite programs." The others were in Colorado, Texas, North Carolina and Illinois.

"The center, only in its fourth year, is the agricultural hub of the county," the magazine says in its February 2010 issue. "Unlike a traditional trade school, the center was developed to teach careers that include agricultural concentrations like agribiology. Students are bused over from the two high schools throughout the day."

The magazine mentions student Alex Tingle, the president of the Future Farmers of America chapter, and quotes ag teacher Christi Hack.

The article says the center doesn't just teach traditional agriculture. For example, the center is a pilot site for Curriculum for Agricultural Science Education, "a program that aims to put ag back in schools by developing a neat package of curricula, activities, teachers' notes, and training to incorporate these classes into suburban and urban areas."

Dexter Knight, principal of the Jessamine Career & Technology Center, said Thursday, "I'm extremely proud of the job our teachers and students have done over the past few years to raise the bar in agricultural education."