SYVUHS Farm welcomes additions
The
three-acre farm is maintained by the high school agriculture students and
instructor. It is a learning tool that makes it possible for students to gain
hands-on experience.
Facilities
on the farm include pens for livestock, a swine barn, a feed storage room, and
pastures. The farm is home to 14 ewes and one ram, a flock that is owned by the
school and is used for breeding.
Recently,
the farm recently welcomed some new additions when many of the ewes produced
lambs. Most of the lambs will be sold to students to be raised as Future
Farmers of America projects for fairs. But — for now — they are content to
frolic in the soft, green grass. Their small, lively black forms often can be
seen bounding through the pastures.
From
spring until county fair in July, some FFA students house their fair animals at
the school farm. Very soon, 22 pigs will arrive, and their squealing clamor
will fill the hog barn. Also, some students plan to raise a steer, heifer or
turkey.
There
also is a greenhouse that the horticulture class uses to start plants, and
raised beds that they use to grow vegetables in both summer and winter.
In all, the school farm provides the agriculture students
with practical experience in farm operations and livestock management, making
it a valuable tool for the school’s agriculture program.