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E-mail StoryTeachers pluck tasty tidbits at seminar
| Tuesday, Jul 31 2007 10:45 PM
Last Updated: Tuesday, Jul 31 2007 10:48 PM
Teachers from across Kern County pulled juicy red and green pluots off trees and marveled at olallieberries, loganberries and marionberries Tuesday.
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Silvia Bishop tastes the yellow flesh of peaches and nectarines Tuesday during a tour of the Murray Family Farms as part of the Teachers’ Ag Seminar of Kern County.
No, they weren't at Willy Wonka's chocolate factory. They were at the Murray Family Farms learning about real hybrid fruits as part of the three-day Teacher's Ag Seminar, which continues today.
The idea is they'll spread their newfound knowledge of local agriculture to students.
"It always amazes me because we're addressing information that's interesting to them as adults," said teacher and ag seminar coordinator Rebecca Been. "They can take parts of it back to the classroom."
Monday and Tuesday they visited the Murray farm, a dairy operation and Bolthouse Farms' carrot processing facility, among other places. They learned how a niche farmer like Steve Murray does business and about the different fruits he grows.
Pluots, for example, are a cross between apricots and plums, and olallieberries, marionberries and loganberries are all crosses of different types of berries, including raspberries and blackberries.
Murray, who said he started farming full time several years ago, sees parallels between teaching and farming: they're both professions someone goes into because they're passionate about them.
"It's been a passion of mine all my life and something I have a lot of fun with," Murray said of farming. "I eat at least 10 servings of fruits and vegetables a day."
Murray, who's also a member of the Di Giorgio School District board, said he thinks it's important teachers understand agriculture so they can inform their students.
"I really feel like there's two parts to agricultural education, nutrition and reconnecting to what we all have in common: the food we eat," Murray said.
The teachers said they can't wait to bring what they learned back to the classroom.
Community Learning Center high school science teacher Suzanne Banker-Kishimoto said she likes to tell her students about the different types of ag jobs available to them after they're done with school.
"A lot of these kids don't have the opportunity to explore these things," Banker-Kishimoto said. "So it's important for teachers to bring it back."
Henry Eissler School first-grade teacher Denise Hill said for her, it isn't about bringing the farm to the classroom, it's about bringing the classroom to the farm.
"We brought our first-graders here and they loved it," Hill said. "It's real. You can see it, smell it, feel it and touch it. They get so much more out of it than you can do with a book."