{"id":8629,"date":"2019-07-22T20:05:44","date_gmt":"2019-07-22T20:05:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hvfarmhub.org\/?p=8629"},"modified":"2021-09-30T23:43:00","modified_gmt":"2021-09-30T23:43:00","slug":"learning-agriculture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hvfarmhub.org\/es\/learning-agriculture\/","title":{"rendered":"Learning Agriculture"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sharing a passion for farming with Kingston High School students<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

T<\/span>he Hudson Valley Farm Hub recently hosted a group of special visitors – students from Kingston High School<\/a>. Primarily juniors and seniors, the teens come from a diversity of backgrounds. What they all share, however, is an interest in agriculture and food. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Roxanne Smith, a sophomore, was transfixed as she observed rows of newly planted garlic. Jeff Arnold, the Farm Hub\u2019s vegetable production manager, explained to the students that the acre of garlic was planted over two straight days by his team of 10  production staff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTwo days is pretty good,\u201d says Arnold. This elicited some oohs and ahhs from Roxanne and her classmates who marveled at the hard work involved in hand-planting the garlic. Arnold touched on the importance of having a crop plan. “It\u2019s like your guiding star until the end of the season.\u201d He also talked about what inspired him to go into farming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
Jeff Arnold, vegetable production manager, compares alfalfa mulch to rye mulch. <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI knew I didn\u2019t want a desk job, I wanted to work outside and be serving a greater purpose,\u201d he told the students. \u201cIt\u2019s a great career, I love it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Roxanne was one of 75 students who are enrolled in an agriculture science class at Kingston High School now in its second year. The class uses agriculture as a platform to teach organic growing methods including soil building, cover cropping, and discussions on topics related to food justice. The course is a for-credit elective and is open to students in all grades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Science teacher Reagan Weissenberg says the class was inspired by a desire to expand students\u2019 knowledge of the local food system including highlighting the importance of local fresh produce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Farm Hub Director Brooke Pickering-Cole says, “The visit was great – a first for us, and informative as we begin to explore opportunities for welcoming specialized groups in future years.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
Anne Bloomfield, farmscape ecology coordinator, gives a tour of the native meadow trial.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Visiting the farm<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since most of the students don\u2019t come from a farming family and some have never visited a farm, they were particularly enthusiastic about getting out of the classroom to see how it all works.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As part of the class, they came to the Farm Hub for a visit and tour, which covered topics from organic growing to food safety and ecology. Farm staff members, representing a diversity of expertise, inspired them by talking about what they love about farming. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Highlights of the tour included:  <\/p>\n\n\n\n