Day 7: Southern Seed Garlic

Written by: Ariel

We went to visit The Singer family homestead. This farm has been in their family for 75 years. It all started when the grandfather bought the land for only $15 an acre. At first, the family grew food to feed themselves, but over time the farm continued to grow and became more successful. Sarah started her first garden when she was just 15 years old. After having three children, and home schooling them, she made a list of goals to become more self-sufficient. 

Through years of hard work, the family now grows about 80% of their own food. They believe growing their own food is healthier, saves money, and gives them more independence. The Singer family raises a variety of animals, including Dexter dairy cows, meat animals, and 20 to 30 laying chickens for fresh eggs. One steer can provide enough beef to feed their family and even help feed their relatives for almost a year. 

They also preserve food by canning and freeze-drying, which helps their food last much longer. Their garden produces many different crops, including sweet potatoes, tomatoes, green beans, peppers, and peanuts. Sweet potatoes are one of their favorite crops because they can be stored for up to a year and used in many different meals. They also grow winter crops so they can continue harvesting fresh food throughout the year. 

The family enjoys living a natural lifestyle. They grow herbs, make their own natural medicines, and create different herbal teas. One of the teas uses 12 different plant leaves. They even sell some of their products at a local market. During the pandemic, when food prices increased, their garden helped them save money because they already had a reliable source of fresh food. Which became very important so they had to stay on top of it.

The Singer family also teaches classes for other home school kids around their area about importance of farming and hard work, hoping to inspire them to try it for themselves, while also getting hands on experience. Their story shows that with dedication and careful planning, a family farm can provide food, teach valuable life skills, and continue serving future generations.

Sarah started Southern Seed Garlic and along with a couple of local Amish families, she markets the garlic. 

Day 7: Arkansas Tech

Written by:  Andi, Ariel, Abi, Khloe, Olivia

Today our group visited Arkansas Tech which is the number 1 regional public university. Arkansas Tech was originally founded as an agricultural school. Although they are not the Land Grant University they do offer many agricultural courses. 

We toured the campus with Presley and Sarah where we learned that they have 150 + clubs and organizations, 3 club sports, and multiple opportunities on campus for jobs. An example of an on campus job is tutoring and being a tour guide. The campus offers many career fairs to help students for a career that matches their major. It doesn't matter what your major is, you are still able to be involved in extracurricular activities like art, recreational activities and e-sports. 

We learned about their ambassador, Jerry IV, who is a bulldog. He helps bring school spirit to every event and it has been a tradition since the school opened. 

 

After our walking tour of the campus, we then went to the farm where Mr. Steve and Dr. Marsh showed us their swine facility. We learned that their operation is not based on biosecurity but based more on teaching. The biosecurity measures that we took to enter the facility was stepping into a powder that disinfected our shoes and prevented cross contamination. There were 3 different sections in the pig barn, one with the sows for breeding, one for farrowing, and the last for the nursery area. We first entered the sow barn where we learned that the oldest sow was 3 years old. They are bred at 6 months where after they are bred, they are kept in a gestation crate for 30 days where they are confirmed bred. Their gestation period is 3 months, 3 weeks, 3 days (114 days). When they are ready to give birth they are moved to a farrowing crate. The piglets are kept with the sows for 4 weeks, then moved to the nursery area for 6 weeks. The piglets are sold as feeder pigs. 

  

The next stop was their Arkansas Farm Bureau Ag Education Lab. This shop contained multiple components of welding such as Virtual Reality and a simulation welder, as well as real welding booths and a plasma cutter. This shop was designed to help students on the Ag Systems path as well as the Ag Education path. We learned about the Arkansas "Girl Power" program where they visit an off campus site to learn about machine tech with other women. 

 

We walked into their greenhouse where we learned that when they were a smaller university they were able to supply food for all the students on campus from their own crops and animals raised at the farm. Today, the farm also supplies plants and harvested animals to local buyers. 

Mr. Steve took us to the beef cattle area where we learned about a canulated cow. This process is done when the animal is young so that nutritional information can be gathered throughout the animal's life span. Some of us were brave enough to put on a glove and reach inside to feel the digested food. We learned that this does not affect them negatively in their life in that they can still be bred and harvested. 

We had an all you can eat buffet lunch in the university cafeteria. We appreciate the sponsor of this meal. 

Thanks to our Sponsors

A few more sponsors that we would like to extend our thanks to. Cracker Barrel Store 771 in Gibsonton provided us with gift cards to provide each of our kids with a meal. We appreciate their support.

Store 771 Gibsonton, FL

A couple of new sponsors this year are Suncoast Credit Union and Raulerson Castillo & Company. Their support is much appreciated.

Raulerson Castillo & Company

A special thanks to Travis and Amber Council for always supporting our program.

 

What do you know about flowers?

Written by: Andi

The other day when we were at Sky Garden Flower Farm we learned about two different kinds of flowers and how their life span affects Sky's flower picking days. 

We first learned about perennial flowers like peonies, coneflowers, and day lilies. Perennial flowers are flowers that live for more than two years. They go dormant in the winter which means temporarily inactive and work to regrow their roots, bulbs, and tubers. After this, they are able to come back year after year. 

Annual flowers are flowers that complete their whole life cycle in one year. Common examples are zinnias and petunias. They have to be replanted each season. These flowers are commonly remembered  because of their bright colors.

Now you know!

Day 6: Bona Dea Trails

We had a little extra time today so we visited the Bona Dea Trails & Sanctuary.  This is a 186- acre park that is a wetland area that also has walking/biking trails. 

Since we have been eating a lot, the walk did us some good! We walked through a couple of different trails, identifying trees and plants along the way. We even saw a deer! There were several people from the area that we met along the way. It was a nice shady walk that we all enjoyed.

What's the difference?

Written by: Abigail

Yield Grade and Quality Grades of Beef

When processing and packaging meat the USDA is always involved in judging the grades of the meat through yield grades that measure the amount of boneless, closely trimmed retail cuts a carcass produces and quality grades that measure eating satisfaction and flavor. 

Yield grades have 5 grades with 1 being the highest that usually has the most muscle intact, 2 having slightly more external fat but still mainly muscle, 3 being the industry average of both muscle and fat, 4 being fatter, thicker, and lower cuttability, and 5 being the lowest that usually has a massive amount of extra fat. 

Quality grades on the other hand only have 4 sections with prime being the highest quality and the most flavorful with a lot of marbling, choice having moderate marbling but still tender and flavorful, select having more leaner qualities and little marbling, and standard being the most economical with a lot of leanness and little marbling. All of this is important for the consumers and producers so they know what goals to reach and what products would be best to buy. 

Day 6: Renee's Berry Farm

Written by: Andi

Today at Renee’s Berry Farm we learned that they primarily grow blueberries and blackberries, but they also produce a variety of other crops, including cucumbers, onions, and potatoes, for personal use. We learned that there are three main types of blueberries: Northern Highbush, Southern Highbush, and Rabbiteye. Blueberries require acidic soil to thrive, and if the soil isn’t acidic enough, sulfur can be added to help create the right growing conditions.

The berries were refreshing and sweet.

One of the biggest challenges blueberry growers in Arkansas are facing is climate change. Blueberries need a period of winter dormancy to produce a successful crop, but increasingly warmer winters have made that difficult. As a result, Renee’s Berry Farm has experienced losses of nearly 70% of its blueberry crop in recent years.
Despite those challenges, the farm has built a thriving U-pick operation. Blueberry season typically begins in mid-May and lasts about four to five weeks. We also learned that approximately 90% of the farm’s business comes from U-pick customers, while the remaining 10% comes from pre-picked berries.

This visit was such a fun and educational experience! A huge thank you to Renee’s Berry Farm and Mr. Pat for welcoming us and sharing his knowledge with our group. We are so grateful for the opportunity to learn more about Arkansas agriculture!

Look closely, do you see the bee? Bees are important for pollinating plants.

What are plant growing zones?

Written by: Ariel

When we were at Sky Gardens, Sky mentioned plant growing zones. What are they? Here's what I found.

Plant growing zones are areas that are grouped by their average winter temperatures to help people know which plants will grow best in their location. The United States is divided into different growing zones, with colder areas having lower numbers and warmer areas having higher numbers. The warmer plant zones seem to be around zone 8 to zone 13 while some of the colder plant zones are between 1 and 4. Knowing your growing zone helps gardeners and farmers choose plants that are more likely to survive the weather and grow successfully. Even though things like rainfall and soil are also important, using the correct growing zone is a good first step when planning a garden or planting crops.

Day 5: Magnolia Blossom Ranch

Written by: Khloe

Today we visited an alpaca farm called Magnolia Blossom Ranch. In addition to the alpacas, they also had a llama there called Milly.  You can tell by their height and the way their ears curve. Alpacas are herd animals which means they always need at least one other partner near them at all times. Mr. Kerry, the owner. and his friend Al have been breeding alpacas and also letting students show them for about 14 years. They also have a shop that you can purchase things made from the alpacas like a stuffed animal made with the fiber from the alpacas. They have two different breeds called Huacaya and the other called Suri. Each of these produce different types of fiber.

They allowed some of the local students to be able to show some of their animals. They also offer free mentoring to people that are newer to showing or raising alpacas. When it comes to purchasing an alpaca the price range varies with age and sex of the animal. For example a male animal that is 6+ years age usually run about $500 while if they are younger they run about $1000. The females that are 6+ years of age run about $1500 and the younger ones run about $2500, with the highest being sold at $40,000. A baby alpaca is called a Cria.

When it comes to breeding an alpaca they usually have only one baby. If they have twins, most of the time you can loose all three so it is better off to always make sure they only have one baby at a time. About 2 weeks after an alpaca gives birth they are then re-bred so that way they are ready for the next year. Mr. Kerry said that alpacas love to be pregnant, and when they go to confirm if they are they put them with a male. You can tell that they are pregnant because they will not want anything to do with the male and will kind of run away from them.

We really enjoyed our stop to learn about Alpacas.

 

What's that in the landscape?

As we traveled across Texas and Oklahoma we noticed a lot of wind turbines. Because there are always winds in some of these areas, this has become popular to convert the wind into energy. 

Ms. Kelli from R.A. Brown Ranch explained that the power company works with the land owners and sets up one of 3 ways to pay a land owner for participating. They can lease an area of land, set a number of turbines on the land or pay for the power they produce. Interestingly, the power company decides which way was the most profitable to pay the farmer. 

 

 Day 5: Express Clydesdales

Written by: Andi

Today on Saturday June 27th, we visited Express Clydesdales in Oklahoma. The foundation was established in 1936 by H.I Grimes and then was refurbished by Amish carpenters in 1998 where it became a barn for strictly Clydesdales. 

Clydesdales are known for being draft/work horses meaning they were bred to be strong and big and able to haul big amounts over long distances. The horses at the Express Clydesdales were used as competition horses as well as horses that pulled carriages for many parades and celebrities over the years. Over their years competing, Express Clydesdales have been able to take home numerous world champion titles! The competitions they compete in consist of 8 horses pulling a carriage where there’s a driver and a judge and the judge tests how well behaved and smooth the horses ride and also judges how well the driver can control the horses and keep the ride safe and smooth. This might make you think that it takes countless hours of hard work and training everyday from birth but in reality, their training comes naturally. They only have to start training to pull carriages at the age of 3 years. This means when they are born they have three years to bond with the care taker while they complete tasks like feeding, playing, and cleaning stalls that warms the horses up to them. By the time they are three years old, because of all of their bonding time they are relatively easy to train to carriage pull! Despite the Clydesdale’s being anywhere from 2000 pounds and upwards and 19 hands when full grown, they are born smaller than most would think. When they are born they are only about 130 pounds and usually up to most people’s waists. The horse we meet today Tigger was a black and white Clydesdales and we learned that they are extremely rare for the Clydesdale breed! They only make up for around 6 percent of the breed. Traditionally most Clydesdales are a reddish color. We had so much fun and are so grateful for this experience! Thank you Express Clydesdales!

Day 4: Sky Gardens

Written by: Ariel

Sky Gardens is a beautiful flower farm located in Levelland, Texas. It has become a popular place for families, photographers, and anyone who enjoys flowers. Visitors can walk through colorful flower fields, pick their own flowers, and enjoy the peaceful atmosphere. The farm also sells fresh bouquets online and hosts special events throughout the growing season. The owner of Sky Gardens, Skyler, comes from a family with a strong agricultural background. Her love for gardening started when she was only seven years old while helping her grandmother grow tomato plants. As she got older, she continued learning about plants and later worked in a flower shop during the COVID-19 pandemic. That job helped her realize she wanted to grow and sell flowers of her own. Skyler started experimenting with growing flowers in 2020, and by 2022, Sky Gardens had its first full growing season. At first, she was worried that no one would visit the farm, but the community quickly supported her business. Today, many people come to the farm to pick flowers, take pictures, and enjoy spending time outdoors.

Growing flowers in West Texas is not easy. One of the biggest challenges is the strong wind, which can damage flowers and even destroy high tunnels that protect the plants. During one storm, the plastic covering on the tunnels was completely blown off. The area also receives very little rain, with only about 2 inches of rain so far this year. Because of this, the farm uses drip irrigation to save water and raised planter boxes to keep dirt from blowing onto the flowers. Even though the wind can sometimes help by blowing away insects, it is still one of the biggest problems the garden faces.

Sky Gardens grows mostly flowers but some vegetables. The farm has around 200 rose bushes with about 50 different varieties, along with many annuals and perennials. Annual flowers are planted every year, while perennials come back each season. Many of the flowers are grown to bloom during late summer and fall, making August through October the busiest time of year.

One of the most popular attractions at Sky Gardens is the You-Pick Flower Experience. Visitors can walk through the fields, cut their own flowers, and create beautiful bouquets to take home. The farm gives people a chance to experience agriculture in a fun and relaxing way. When Skylar talks about how she grows flowers most people would look at her crazy, but once they look her up many visitors are surprised when they see so many colorful flowers growing in the middle of West Texas.

Sky Gardens shows that hard work, determination, and a love for agriculture can turn a simple dream into a successful business. What started as a childhood love of gardening has grown into a flower farm that brings beauty and joy to the Levelland community while teaching others about farming and the importance of supporting local businesses. We don’t wanna forget about Chloe! Chloe is Skylar’s younger sister who has a love for bunny’s and really all animals. Meeting Chloe was an amazing experience especially getting to meet all her cute little bunnies that she does sell at times! Skylar and Chloe gave us an amazing experience at Sky Gardens, so thank you!  

Day 4: Texas Tech Meat Science

Written by: Abigail and Olivia

Getting the chance to tour Texas Tech was such a blessing. We got the opportunity to learn such a wide variety of things that were all meat science related. We first got a walk through their cafe and shop, where they sell all their meat to the general public and students. We got to learn that in one class the students all get the opportunity to package and process their own meat and get the opportunity to create their own products which are sold.  Meat that is good to eat but was used for research cannot be sold but they donate it to local food banks! 

There's so many other career paths and majors but their main focus is animal science in that part of the building but they also have other things like vet programs and other majors in other parts of the campus. On top of that they offer paid jobs in the restaurant, cafe, and packing areas. As your traditional university all freshmen without an AA have to stay on campus and the campus has dorms that's not too far away. 

When taking animal science classes they also offer wool judging to freshman students, which consists of judging the weight, quality, and fineness of wool from breeding vs. commercial lambs. Then you get the opportunity to join the meats judging team where you would judge the quality of meat, marbling, types of cuts and more. It's important to remember though that both the wool and meat judging teams are one and done so you aren't allowed to be on the team the next year if you were on it previously.

Throughout the meat classrooms they have a rail like system that allows them to move the carcass from place to place. This helps teach the judging teams and regular classes on what to look for in good meat and cuts.  They also have sensory labs which are used for taste testing the different meats so the students can learn the different textures and flavors of the cuts of meat. 

Within the meat science community they offer a wide variety of career opportunities like communications, marketing, production, packing, food and safety, and more! They also help you find a lot of different internships at the fairs and ranches. 

They have beef, sheep, and swine units on the campus for research, judging, and harvesting. They also have an equine center and hopefully an incoming dairy unit and updated lab. They offer many medical related classes that go along with Vet such as reproduction, breeding research, feedlot courses, and general production classes. 

Anna, our guide, also talked about a few of the research projects done with cattle. One of these was about liver abscess and how it tends to occur when ruminants pH level drops as a result of high concentrate diets and possibly genetics that go along with the beef on dairy cattle crosses since they’re more commonly found with the abscesses. They have a feed bank system that allows them to scan the ear tags to track how long they have been there eating and how much they have eaten because if they eat a lot in a long amount of time they could be prone to liver abscess. It was a very important area to learn because it can help us watch for our animals health. 

We then went and focused a lot of our time on the process of getting the meat processed. The animals are outside in pens for 12 hours before harvest time to allow them to calm down and get stress out. From there they are brought into the processing facility, where they are rendered unconscious, and harvesting begins. The amount of time it takes to harvest an animal varies with the species. Cattle take longer than pigs or sheep.

 We then were led to a trailer where we were taught that they used a CT scan that can determine the density of tissues. This only takes about 45 seconds. They are trying to figure out a method to develop a phenotype of red meat yield which was really interesting and a way to hopefully get rid of the outdated way of grading meat. 

We also learned that when it comes to freshness of the meat it's best to smell the meat instead of look at color cause the longer its left out the longer it can oxidize which leads to browning. A small amount of browned meat is still perfectly healthy as long as it doesn't have a bad smell to it. We also learned that they have different machines that allow them to study what amino and fatty acids result in the good smell and taste of cooking meat. 

Our final learning opportunity was very hands on. We were able to see how the top sirloin gets cut up along with other cuts of meat. Dr. Woerner then taught us the different methods to cook them. My group was able to cook sirloin on a cast iron skillet for 4 minutes, 2 minutes on each side then we put it in the oven for a couple of minutes until they reached 145-150•F. The other groups also cooked their steak but each was a different method. After everything was cooked, Anna and her group provided us with sides to go with our steak for lunch. This was a great learning opportunity and by far the most educational stop. I loved learning about their program and being  able to participate in hands on activities.  

Day 3: National Ranching Heritage Museum

Written by: Abigail and Olivia

While touring the National Ranching Heritage Museum, we started with a tour through the outside area where we learned about the different houses, defensive structures, and other aspects of the ranches of the past. I'd like to tell you a little about a few of the buildings we learned about:

Los Corralitos was a defensive building created to fight off attack. It was around 30 inches thick with no windows, just a few holes for gun fire on each side of the building. 

El Capote was a log cabin that had generations living in it with the last person living in it during the 1900’s. 

Hedwig's Hill was a pre civil war house that some German people created and people could rent out or sleep on the property for however long needed. 

The next stop was the Towell House and that was a 2-story house with multiple defensive measures and one of the first fridges that was created using thick walls and water that was constantly running to keep it cool and they used air flow to control the temperature levels in the building to keep everything cold enough that it wouldn't spoil. These were often times called "Spring Houses".

The Barton House was built in 1909 where he named the town after himself. He wanted to build a rail road track from Barton to Lubbock but unfortunate for him, it was made in a different town. 

They had a mail man who would ride on horses into town in order to deliver mail to a mail house where the cowboys would go and pick up their mail when they had time.

It was very interesting to hear that they used trains to transport animals and had a double deck to carry small animals or they could raise the deck to carry larger animals. 

With that they had a sheep farm to house sick sheep and treat them while keeping them away from other animals spreading the disease. It was very common back in the day with screw worms which is now occurring today but not as commonly. 

There also were many displays inside the museum

  
This tour allowed me to explore the history from back in the day that have had some impact on today’s life. This was definitely a great learning opportunity to see what happened back in the day and comparing it to the changes that have helped us today. If you are in the area please check out the National Ranching Heritage Museum for a great learning experience.

Day 3: 6666

Written by: Khloe

Today we went to the 6666 Ranch where we took a tour of their breeding facility. We were able to see some of the stallions they had housed at the ranch, there were about 27 stallions total. Around September they have an annual sale where they sell about 150 horses. And in the sale it’s not just their horses, they collaborate with a other breeders as well. One of the highest producing stallions is named “Bet Hesa Cat”.

 

 

Most of the stalls that the stallions are kept in had two name plates, one being for their name and the other being for the past horse in that stall. All of the horses born on the ranch are branded to identify their lineage and age. One thing I thought was crazy is that a horses typical life span is only about 25-30 years of age.

On to the actual breeding side of things, how often a stallion is used for breeding depends on their popularity. The less popular may be used for breeding about 30-45 mares, while the more popular stallions will be used to breed 200+ mares in one breeding season. During one breeding season they usually collect semen around 1,500 times. Now on the female side of things they normally breed about 150 mares during breeding season, all through AI (artificial insemination) and not live coverage. AI is used so that they can steer clear of any potential diseases that may be transmitted during natural breeding and also helps to prevent injuries to the mare or stallion.

 

Did you know?

A Little Background on the Cattle Industry

Florida is what they call a "Cow/Calf" state. We raise beef cows to produce calves. Some of those calves are kept as replacement animals, sold to other cattle producers, or sent to "Stockers" and "Feedlots". 

Cowen Cattle Company, that we visited on Day 2 is that "Stocker" operation. They bring in weaned calves and transition them to eating feed, updating vaccinations, and making sure they are healthy. Most of these calves weigh between 400 and 600 pounds.

From there they are sent on to "Feedlots" where they are fed and cared for until they reach market weight, around 1200 pounds. Then they are sent for processing to become the meat we buy in the grocery stores.

Day 2: Cowen Cattle Company

Written by: Ariel

During our summer ag tour we made a stop at Cowen Cattle Company, where they are basically all about cows. They have both a cattle ranch and a feed yard. They get cattle from all over the place, and their main job is as a stocker operation. A stocker operation is a phase in the beef industry that transitions cattle from weaning to when they are ready to go to the feed lot. Heifers tend to be sent off at roughly 800 pounds and steers tend to be about 900 depending on the situation. It seems like a lot of work, but it’s also pretty cool.

One of the biggest things they do is feeding. They have a whole system for it. They use this motor-operated feed mixer and a feed truck that has a scale in it, so they know exactly how much their giving each group of cows. They feed them twice a day and it has to be on the same schedule because they could get sick if changed around. They’re always watching to make sure they're eating okay and growing like they should so that there ready after about 90 days. If they don't want them to grow too fast, they will adjust their feed. It’s kind of like making sure they’re not eating too much junk food. Just like humans. cows have a schedule as well. 

Certain markings on the animal and in the ear tags help with keeping track of what health measures have been taken.

They also really focus on keeping them healthy. They give them medicine if needed and they have a really cool way of keeping up with it. They do there best to try to keep them comfortable, especially when it gets hot. They have to always check on them, making sure they look good and aren’t over heating from the hot sun. Healthy cows are happy cows, and happy cows grow better. It's all about giving them the best environment so they can get bigger and stronger.

Day 2: R.A. Brown Ranch

Written by:  Abigail

Going to visit the R.A. Brown Ranch was a such a fun way to learn so many new things about horses, the way they run their ranch, their bulls, the land around them and in Texas. I got the chance to speak to Mr. Donnel Brown and he was a very nice person with a lot of insight on the bulls and horses. He took us over to meet the vet that was at the ranch and showed us how they go about examining their bulls to make sure their reproductive organs and systems are functioning properly without any abnormalities and how they go about looking at the quality and function of the sperm that the bulls produce. We got to watch them perform the exam and also learned that the bulls have 3 attempts to pass the examination or they’ll be sold for beef production. The bulls that passed the exam would be used for breeding purposes and sold to other producers to help improve genetics. 

Dr. Powe showed us how the sperm cells are evaluated.

After learning about the bulls we got the opportunity to see the show rings for the horses and meet the show horses and broodmares that they had on the ranch. We met the very popular horse, Casino, who is a successful show horse. One of their sons, Mr. Lanham, shows horses and we got the opportunity to speak to him and his mother, Mrs. Kelli, about their horses. We learned that after retirement the show horses are used to be breed and allowed to become broodmares. They also will have horse auctions in order to sell more high quality horses and put on shows for those who show up to the event. 

We noticed a lot of wind turbines on the property and Mrs. Kelli  explained how their power and energy system works through the wind turbines. She also talked about how throughout the pasture they had to create pond like structures for water sources since water in Texas could be scarce at times. This experience was so much fun and I was so grateful to have the opportunity to meet their lovely family and learn about their ranch.

R.A. Brown Ranch