The next crop of young farmers are being cultivated at Alpharetta's Old Rucker Farm

Most high school students start their day in a classroom. But Alex Telipsky starts every morning at Alpharetta's Old Rucker Farm.

"Right now, I'm kind of just checking the egg baskets, making sure that there are eggs," Telipsky said. "And if not, I'm just cleaning them out so the chickens have a clean place to lay their eggs."

It's a one-of-a-kind education he's getting alongside his two best friends — Peyton Runkel and Tate Bryant. They're all seniors at Cambridge High School taking a daily agricultural class, teaching teens about farming and entrepreneurship. 

"I gained just a realization of how much farmers actually work to be the backbone of America, and really understand what all goes into growing all the food," Telipsky said.

"We wanted to kind of get our hands in the world of agriculture business, but also just like, have fun while doing it," Bryant said. "It seemed like an interesting class, and it is. It's a fun class to take."

Through the class, the boys sell an array of goods from the farm, including fruits, eggs, vegetables, and plants. They also sell artisanal goods that they make in partnership with culinary students at Alpharetta High School. 

The students say they've raised more than $4,000 so far, more than half of their $7,000 fundraising goal. At the end of the school year, the students get to split half of the profits amongst themselves as scholarship money to continue their education. 

The program has been around since 2019. The teacher says each year, different groups of students have innovated the class, introducing new products through the small businesses they launch through the course. 

"Before, they were using paper bags," Runkel said. "And we were like, how can we make it more fresh for the customers when they receive it? 

"So we came up with these," Runkel said, holding up a blue plastic crate. "Put an ice pack in the bottom and the customers return it the next week when they pick up a box. So they just trade it out. And it works perfect. It's great for the customers and keeps our prices down eventually."

Amanda Musilli, the program's facilitator, hopes the experience will have a long-lasting effect.

"It could be the way that you manage your household. It could be the purchasing consumer decisions that you make at the grocery store. It could be the ballots that you choose at the voting booth," Musilli said. "I think it will be one of those moments in their life that will be really impactful for their future." 

"Working with customers and working with these guys, and sometimes even working alone, like, there's things that on the farm have to get done whether we like it or not," Bryant said. "It's really helped my work ethic just really get a lot, lot better." 

Runkel says the boys' close friendship is key to their success.

"The best part is, we can get mad at each other and get over it, and in 30 seconds, we're best friends again. We can run a business very well because we can get over our struggles together, even if we are struggling with each other," Runkel said.

They say the struggles are hardly a match for the brotherhood they've taken years to cultivate.