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Agriculture Column No. 3: School Days on the Farm

The following is the third in a series of columns on Agriculture in the Southern Tier written by Chemung and Schuyler County Agriculture Advocate Alicia Dickinson.

WATKINS GLEN, June 9 -- The Odessa-Montour Central School District’s sixth grade class has been very busy this year learning all about farming in their science classes.

Recently, they got a hands-on twist to all of the hard work they have been doing in the classroom. In the past two weeks, Odessa’s sixth grade class has visited two dairy farms in Schuyler County, Sgrecci’s organic dairy and Bergen’s large dairy, both located outside of Odessa. Last fall, the students visited the Hoffman dairy and cheese operation in Catharine.

The students were able to get an up-close and personal look at what goes into being a dairy farmer and just how much work it really is. While comparing and contrasting the different styles of farming at the two farms, the students would ask questions and listen to the farmers and also to other presenters who spoke about the different jobs and resources that are needed to keep a dairy farm running.

The sixth graders quickly learned that both farms are very different, not only in size, but in the practices used to take care of the cows. At Sgrecci’s, the owners -- Dana and Gail -- spoke about why they are an organic dairy and how the regulations that they have to follow are completely different from Bergen’s.

“We harvest sunshine and turn it into milk,” said Dana, during an overview of the farm that he gave to the students when they first arrived. Other educational stations at the Sgrecci farm covered rotational grazing, electricity on a farm, Organic Farming 101, and what it is like to be a farm kid, which was presented by Dana and Gail’s oldest son, Nick, a sixth grader at Odessa.

The Bergen’s farm tour was an all-day affair where the students visited four 40-minute stations in the morning that covered farm safety; the milking operation which uses a circular, rotating parlor; genetics and reproduction; and nutrient management and feeding. Then after lunch there were mini, 15-minute stations with the professionals that help on the farm every day, like the veterinarian, the crop consultant, the people who work with the machinery, and a question-and-answer session about all of the information they had learned.

Jim and Stephanie Bergen’s son, Jimmy, also a sixth grader at Odessa, talked to his classmates about what you get to do for fun on a farm. He showed them his Jersey heifer named Doisy-Doo that he plans to show at fair this summer. He talked about all of the responsibilities he has in taking care of her and how he gets her ready for the fair. “I have to work with her every day to build her trust and make a connection with her so we do well at the fair,” Jimmy said, while showing the students how to walk his heifer.

These farm tours are sponsored by the Pro Education Committee of the Schuyler County Farm Bureau, which is made up of Farm Bureau members and staff from the Schuyler County Soil and Water Conservation District and Cornell Cooperative Extension in cooperation with the Odessa-Montour Central School and the sixth grade teachers. One purpose of these tours is to show local youth that there are many, exciting job opportunities available in agriculture.

The Watkins Glen eighth grade class also visited Bergen Farms recently and learned about job opportunities, but also about the importance of team building and cooperation. Bergen Farms is a very busy place with many types of employees working together to produce milk. The Watkins students also learned about how Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are used on farms and about how important farm business management is. Various pieces of farm equipment were explained and used as examples of the financial planning that is required by farmers, for these are large capital investments.

Photo in text: The column author, Alicia Dickinson, who is the Chemung and Schuyler Agriculture Advocate.

(To see Alicia Dickinson's first column, click here.)

(To see Alicia Dickinson's second column, click here.)