Minnesota 5-12 students experience agriculture through this hands-on three part career exploration. Farm Camp Minnesota creates a customized experience for your classroom and includes standards-based, in classroom learning, hands-on farm or agribusiness tour and culminates in career exploration while integrating with existing classroom curriculum.
South Junior High School Farm Camp Ag Day
Ninety 7th grade students from South Junior High School in St. Cloud, Minnesota jumped on three school buses, thanks to the transportation grant, and enjoyed three different tour stops as a part of their hand-on farm and agribusiness tours. Prior to the tours on April 26, 2024, students completed a classroom, standards-based curriculum to set the stage of what they would experience during these tours.
Farm Camp Ag Day Stops
Grillin’ Meats and Rolling Hills Cattle Company
This mother and daughter duo owned and operated farm is located in Avon, Minnesota. On this cattle farm, they raise cattle as the third and fourth generations on the farm. Students had the opportunity to see the full experience from how the cattle are raised and cared for, processed and packaged for retail sale.
Wildwood Ranch Maple Syrup
Wildwood Ranch Maple Syrup is produced by the Carlson & Honer families in St. Joseph, Minnesota. Their operation has been a springtime family tradition since 1979, and has been part of the Kraemer Lake - Wildwood County Park since 2007. With a focus on sustainable forestry, land stewardship, and modern processing efficiencies, students had the opportunity to learn about processing maple syrup during the sugaring season of February through April and distribution year around.
Produce Acres
This seventy-five acre family farm is located in Cold Spring, Minnesota. Students had the opportunity to learn about the crops that they grow which includes cabbage, beans, onions, sweet corn, cucumbers, pickles, tomatoes, rhubarb, dill, lettuce, kale, radishes, pumpkins, potatoes, squash, ground cherries, gourds, peppers and aronia berries. During the Farm Camp, students learned about the process of planting, harvesting and distribution.
What surprised students?
"Syrup is stored in milk tanks!"
"The difference between duck egg pancakes and chicken egg pancakes"
"The amount of work and patience it takes"
"How everything is tied to agriculture"
Students
South Junior High School
What did you learn that you could explain to someone else?
"Cows protect themselves by making a circle when wolves attack."
"The maple syrup vacuum system"
Students
South Junior High School
Impact of South Junior High School Farm Camp Ag Day
Prior to Farm Camp students completed a pre-tour survey indicating only 39.5% of students could name five agricultural careers in their community. After completing their Farm Camp experience, 70% of students could identify five or more agriculture careers. After Farm Camp, 97.5% of students felt knowledgeable about the industries they visited and learned about which is a 30.9% increase prior to the experience.
Our students had an outstanding experience on their tour day, visiting farm sites to learn about the production of maple syrup, organic fruits and vegetables, and pasture-raised livestock. We were engaged in immersive experiences at Wildwood Ranch, Produce Acres, and Rolling Hills Cattle Company/Grillin' Meats. Students were ecstatic to be with the animals, taste plant products, and learn about potential careers in which they might engage. They were filled with awe and wonder all day long.