Wintery weather greets Tom Graham farm tour fifth-graders
All of the county’s fifth-graders got a very up-close and interesting, albeit cold and damp, look at what goes on at a farm during the Tom Graham Fifth Grade Farm Tour. The annual event took place Sept. 30, at the farm of Tom and Sarah Miller, on CR 168, between Berlin and Trail.Despite some ugly weather, the troops hunkered down and made the best of the situation, and learned a lot despite the cold and rain.
“We don’t call this off unless there’s a hurricane or gale force winds,” joked Michelle Wood, of the Holmes Soil & Water Conservation District (SWCD), farm tour sponsors.
“Between the school bus drivers’ schedules, and getting everything geared up for another run through, it just is too much. We’ve given up on the idea of a rain date.”
So the show went on, and the fifth-graders didn’t seem to mind the weather one bit, although what has been sunny skies and T-shirt weather in the past dissolved into overcoats, mittens and ski caps.
Wood said that the purpose of the tour is to present the connection between agriculture and conservation, and the impact that agriculture makes on the county.
“Kids need to learn that how these farmers manage the land is important to the future success of farming in our county,” said Wood. “This really ties all of the different aspects together.”
The tour consisted of stops for wildlife, farming, soils, farm safety, forestry and the always popular Soil Sam snack station, where kids build tasty treats out of foods that represent all they learned throughout the day.
As usual, FFA members from both Hiland and West Holmes were on hand to provide guidance between stops, to aid the presenters and to help with the soil snacks.
“It’s cool to interact with the kids,” said Tyler Schonauer, West Holmes senior FFA president. “It’s fun to try to explain the farm to them, and all of the things involved. This also is another step in building unity in our group, and as a school group, we enjoy getting out and helping in our communities.”
While Soil Sam has been around the tour for years, something new was the move from a dairy farm to a beef farm. The Miller farm’s cows and feeders are all grass-fed, something Miller believes in, and he is also committed to rotational grazing, a practice the SWCD has promoted for decades.
The Miller family siblings, including Duane, Becky, Mary, Leah, Keith and Tom, were all on hand to participate in the day’s activities. Only oldest sister Freida was unable to join them in presenting the farm.
The Miller farm has been in the family for generations, dating back to before 1900. The Miller siblings’ father, David, took over the farm in 1964, before handing the reins over to Tom.
While the farm tour has had some tremendous hosts over the decades, this year, Miller went above and beyond the call of duty for the day, purchasing 600 pumpkins for the kids to take home, while sister Mary headed up the crew which put together sack lunches for all of the kids, marking the first time the youth have not had to pack their own lunch.
“This is just great,” said Miller. “We love having the community come in and see the farm, and we were more than excited about having the kids come in and experience it. I think that getting out here and actually seeing how things happen firsthand is worth a month of learning in a classroom.”
Mandy Bisesi, Hiland FFA instructor, agreed, noting, “The kids are able to learn a lot more from seeing and physically being on the farm. It really brings the importance of agriculture and conservation to the forefront.”