Every ag teacher has their share of headaches. But one that tops most lists is the Ag Farm. The ag farm brings a whole list of problems. Whose job is to keep it mowed? Who builds the pens? Who does the maintenance & fixes plumbing problems? And the age old question of how do you keep people from borrowing\\ stealing feed?<\/p>\n
I have numerous thoughts and feelings about the good and bad of ag farms. I know that nobody helps Duke and I build our show pens. I also know that nobody else pays for electricity or heat at our barns. For that, I’m not a fan. But I also realize that a lot of kids need a place and that these places can be an excellent teaching tool.<\/p>\n
I served a 3 year stint at Billings and did another 3 year stretch at Fairview. Both of those schools had limited ag farms. We had to use the ag shop or the county barns to wash and clip. It works. <\/p>\n
Waynoka still has an extensive ag farm that we used to farrow sows, raise numerous Tulsa champion broilers in the cool room and AI cattle for students and local cattleman as well as feed\/fit and house show animals–all species. It was not uncommon to have steers & heifers in the pens under fans. Hogs inside, broilers in the cooler and sheep & goats under the heaters. Whatever we needed. They built that facility back in the 70s and it is still in use. They have gotten their money’s worth. Lots of champions. I also had several kids that won state proficiency awards as a result of their ag farm projects. <\/p>\n
Shattuck has a very good school farm. Two heated hog barns, excellent sheep barn and very nice cattle runs. As well as a fitting barn with wash racks, heat and clipping areas. The sheep barn is inhabited by a family that maintains the barn and runs. They do it right. The other barns have been abused in the past. But they are clean now. And they will stay that way or I will gladly evict some people. For the most part, the kids are doing a good job.<\/p>\n
Part of me wonders how a school can justify the heating and electrical bill of these farms. The other part knows what a gymnasium or ball field costs to operate. In the end, if there are kids\/families using an ag farm properly-with respect; then they are a neccesary evil.<\/p>\n
An ag farm can solve some problems. It can be a staging point–for instance, meet at the ag farm. It can be a storage place for show supplies, trailers, etc. It’s also nice to be able to have a common location to bring animals as you buy them. Get in from a pig sale, drop them off in a pre-built pen with water and feed ready to go. <\/p>\n
Like everything else, an ag farm is only as good as the people that use them. If used properly, then they are a valuable tool. If not, they can be a burden on everybody. And, in my opinion, it is probably best if the ag teachers kids keep their animals someplace else, for a lot of different reasons. <\/p>\n
Oh, for the record, there are currently NO goats at the Shattuck ag farm. They all live at their families’ homes. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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