2008 Agriculture Roadshow for Teachers
“Exploring Sustainability”
From July 7 – 9, 2008 thirteen teachers from across Saskatchewan increased their awareness and understanding of Agriculture as they participated in the
Agriculture Roadshow for Teachers “Exploring Sustainability”. Agriculture in the Classroom was pleased to provide educators with an intensive, informative, hands-on experience that included visits to various farming operations, research facilities and agro-business enterprises. These teachers are committed to teaching their students about the diverse and exciting opportunities available in Agriculture. The Agriculture Roadshow for Teachers was a springboard for collaboration between the Saskachewan Mining Association and Agriculture in the Classroom to develop a potash kit for grade 7 science that will be available in the fall of 2009.
Some comments from the teachers:
- I think that these kinds of activities help teachers be more appreciative and informed of what is happening and available in Saskatchewan. This results in better people as well as better teachers.
- Great Experience – would love to do it again!
- It is always good to reinforce or review what one has read or heard about, or visit a place that would not be easy to visit as an individual.
- I learned how important each farmer/producer took their jobs, they really care about us as consumers.
- It certainly cleared up any misconceptions that I had…and for the better.
- Thank you so much for all of the wonderful experiences and all the new knowledge that I have gained.
Read on to learn about this exciting event!
Introduction (Agribition Building) – The morning session included breakfast, introductory games, viewing of the food safety videos and an activity where the teachers had to create a web on “what is agriculture”. I facilitated this session and explained that the theme was sustainability and encouraged participants to look at ways the agriculture industry was working to be sustainable environmentally, socially and economically.
Pioneer Inland Grain Terminal (Balgonie) – The group toured Pioneer and learned about the modern technologies employed in the grain handling system today. The staff at Pioneer did an excellent job of demonstrating how their operation worked and we even watched a semi-truck unload and the teachers were amazed to see it only took a few minutes to unload! The teachers also learned about grain sampling and had the opportunity to crush canola to count the greens and see the oil come out of the seed.
Lajord Hutterite Colony (Balgonie) – The group enjoyed a wonderful home-cooked meal by the ladies at the Lajord Colony before an intensive tour of the colony. We were given insight into not only the agricultural operations of the colony but also their customs and cultural background. This stop was a huge hit with all the teachers and certainly gave us all something to think about with respect to “living off the land” and “sustainability”.
Indian Head Crop Research Station (Indian Head) – David Gale led the group on tour through the Research facility while explaining the history of the place and the important research that has been and still continues to be conducted there. Due to rainy weather we were unable to go through the fields to look at the research plots.
Flint Horn Tipi Camp (Carry the Kettle First Nation) – This was an interesting and one-of-a-kind experience for most of the teachers. We were welcomed to the camp by Tim Hawaye with a smudging ceremony. Fortunately, the weather cleared and we were able to enjoy a walk through the land as we learned about traditional plants and their medicinal uses. After a supper of moose stew and bannock we had the wonderful experience of horseback riding and wagon trekking through the pasture. We even had an encounter with a “wild horse”! In the evening we sat around the campfire and were entertained by traditional drumming and pow wow dancers. Thankfully the rain stayed away and we had a dry, if somewhat cool, night in the tipis. In the morning we gathered in a tipi for a session on “respect” before leaving the peace and quiet of the natural surroundings.
Strudwick Dairy Farm (Balgonie) - Our next stop was a visit to Strudwick’s Dairy Farm - a family owned and operated business that utlizes innovative diversification and has gone to great lengths to make their farm environmentally-friendly. The teachers had a chance to touch the calves and see how a dairy operates.
Over the Hill Orchards & Prairie Cherry Corner (Lumsden) – Next we looked at a kind of agriculture not typically seen in Saskatchewan – a fruit orchard! Dean and Sylvia Kreutzer are fruit producers who strive “to offer the finest quality certified organic fruit and fruit products possible, and to promote Saskatchewan made products, businesses, and tourism.” Some of the fruit that that they are currently growing include Apples, Prairie Cherries, Apricots, Plums, with Blue Honeysuckles and Pears coming soon! From the Orchard we travelled to their Prairie Cherry Corner shop, where the teachers made chocolates and enjoyed a homegrown cherry slush. The teachers were very impressed with the passion this young couple had for their agriculture enterprise.
The Flax House (Craik) - Here teachers learned agriculture supplies shelter as well as delicious food. Larry Turgeon explained how he built his house out of flax straw and keeps his costs down by powering his house through wind energy.
Trails End Guest Ranch (Craik) – After another long day the teachers enjoyed a wonderful steak pit supper and trail rides overlooking the valley. In the morning, the teachers took some time to review and provide comments for us on a select number of resources – a very useful exercise!
Craik Eco-Centre (Craik) – Teachers were amazed and impressed with the environmental planning that went into the Eco-Centre. The Eco-Centre is an energy efficient building that has been designed with integrated heating, cooling, and electrical systems. The few energy requirements that it does need are fulfilled will renewable energy resources whenever possible. The Eco-centre was a community initiative and the village of Craik continues its quest to be a leader in environmental and agricultural sustainability.
Burrowing Owl Interpretive Centre (Moose Jaw) – The sun finally came out on the last day and our first stop was the Saskatchewan Burrowing Owl Interpretive Centre - an educational facility dedicated to the conservation of Burrowing Owls and their prairie home. The population of the Burrowing Owls has been rapidly declining for over a decade, and it is feared that they may become extinct in Canada.
Donn Farrer Grain Farm (Drinkwater) - On this stop teachers learned what the government is doing to encourage farmers to implement environmentally sustainable practices on their farms. Donn is a grain farmer who farms 2700 acres on which he rotates peas, lentils, canola, durum, and spring wheat. He has participated in the Environmental Farm Plan (EFP) and showed us some of the changes he made to his equipment and fertilizer storage facilities.
Mosic Potash Mine (Belle Plaine) – Our final educational tour of the day was the Potash mine in Belle Plaine. It was very interesting to see how they mined potash using solution mining. Several interesting discussions took place on the potash market that is currently expoding and its effects on the Saskatchewan economy and on farmers who have seen fertilizer prices triple in the last year.
Zest (Regina) – There was no better way to wrap up a wonderful three days than with a gourmet meal cooked in front of us by world renowned Chef Rob Fuller. The teachers used this opportunity to fill out evaluation forms and give last minute comments on the Roadshow.
Special thanks to our generous supporters of the 2008 Roadshow
Financial support for this tour has been provided by the Agriculture Council of Saskatchewan through the Advancing Canadian Agriculture and Agri-Food Saskatchewan (ACAAFS) program. Funding for the ACAAFS program is provided by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.
Learn more about our Agriculture Roadshow for Teachers – download video (30 MB)
