Middle River School passionate about local food!

They have their own garden and greenhouse where they grow all sorts of root vegetables and squash. In the fall they sell the fruits of their labour at the Baddeck Farmer’s Market. They know that plants need soil, water and sunlight to grow and that weeding and adding compost are essential.

So it was a natural fit that Middle River decided to visit a larger scale organic farm for their end of year field trip. Green Schools Engagement Officer Shandel Brown organized a visit to the LeBlanc family’s farm where she lives.

Students learned about organic matter in soil, how to plant potatoes with the “eyes to the sky”, held ducklings, learned about drip lines, fed the cows bread, weeded the raspberries, saw piglets, sheep and chickens, gave bottles to the lambs, tasted some of the treats from the farm kitchen, drank lemonade on the deck, and perhaps most exciting of all went for a wagon ride with the farm’s two Belgian work horses Diamond and Foster!

The quote of the day came from one student who remarked “So you don’t have to waste money at the grocery store because everything is all right here!”

Thank you to the Middle River students for their enthusiasm and insightful questions, and to the teachers and parents for supporting local agriculture!