Growth through Experience - Ms. Hamilton

Blessed as I am, I am lucky to teach a subject that does not have to live within four walls. This past weekend was an exciting time, not only for my students, but for myself as well. Of the six students who braved this adventure, two were in FFA last year, and the other four were new to this program all together. I won't use this time to go through the entire trip, but wanted to share some thoughts and observations on the trip and the students.

 - High schoolers are a fun and diverse group of individuals. Each and every one of these kids have a different background. They were all polite and respectful for the most part. They wanted to learn! As a techer, that was fantastic for me to witness!!

- Almost every teacher will tell you they do their job for the "light bulb moments". In the classroom it is fun, but the magnitude of that moment is ten-fold when you see it click in the moment of learning, but again when you see it click that it has real world application, that it connects to them in a very personal way. That milk you drank with breakfast, it came from a cow. A healthy, happy cow, who lives in an awesome environment designed for cow comfort. That the peanuts that made the peanut butter or that are in Peanut M&M's came from the ground and the machines that make the process of harvesting them are massive and intricate. That the stuff that all seems so awesome may actually be a good career choice in the future, and the colleges we went to see may help them achieve their goals.

- When removed from technology, the conversations are enriching. My general policy at meals is that all the phones (mine included) go in the middle of the table, and the first person to touch the phone has to pay for the whole table's meals. That risk of having to buy everybody's meal is great incentive for not touching it. The first night they thought I was joking (the new kids that is, my former two knew the rule). They were at a loss for what to talk about. So we started off at the basics, their families. Some were shocked to hear about the similarities and differences of each other. By the last night, a couple actually left their phones in the car so that they could keep focused on the conversation. That was a proud moment for me personally. It brought tears to my eyes when one even said he wished that his family would do something like this so that they would have the same connection and feeling of togetherness as this group has.

- History really isn't that boring. Just ask those who have been to a good museum! One planned stop did not go as planned, so we were looking for something to fill the time with. They actually suggested and were excited to go to a museum. They truly had fun there too.

- Our future is not a bleak as some would like to portray it. Every aspect of life has highs and lows. Every generation has its' super achievers and its' under achievers. It is unfair to say that we all fit in the same category. We must look for the best in people, believe in those special characteristics and help to better those gifts and skills. By providing opportunities that force us to grow and better ourselves, we are able to test our own limits and see that we really are worth it. From the last three years of teaching (one in Tanzania and two at Spoto) I have witnessed some fully bloom when given positive encouragement and a chance to change for the better; they have stepped up to the occasion and exceeded expectations in many cases.

To conclude, I am super excited for the next two trips as we venture to south and central Florida. Be sure to check back in December and again in March to see the adventures through their eyes.

The Sunbelt At Expo - Jorge

The expo was great! There were many different companies that have to do with agriculture; especially big tractor companies and tractor equipment companies like Bush Hog. There were lots of cattle squeeze shoots and holding pens on the right side of the expo, in the center was a lot of colleges and information tents about animals and certain colleges and their agriculture classes and learning units. On the left side is where all the tractor companies had there tractors set up for people to go in and look at how they operate or the new improvements they added to the tractors. 

Then there was a tractor with a trailer that would take people out to the cotton, hay, and peanut field where  you can watch them cut and harvest the hay, root and flip the peanuts, and harvest the cotton.

There was many food vendors that were selling food that was harvested near by. It was a great experience that we loved to see and would love to go again.

The day of rest - Jules

Today we woke up at around 7:30 to go to the Cracker Museum in Perry. It was interesting to see the ways that life has advanced from those days. We think nothing of the time and labor spent to start building things back then. 

We then embarked to Full Circle Dairy at around 1 in the afternoon. It was around an hour drive but on the way we found a small worm to give us company upon the journey. Once we arrived we were greeted by a plethora of cats. Greg and Cindy Watts arrived and showed us around the dairy, the experience was different than I expected and showed how much more complicated the milking process was. They were really nice and answered any questions we had.

There was a lighthouse we stopped at as well, it was a relaxing place to be during the stress of the week, and just an overall beautiful place. Hearing the water's movement hit the rocks was so entrancing. I truly appreciate the peaceful orchestra that was around me at the lighthouse.

And this was the end of the day, we reached an IHOP for dinner, which further bonded the group. Today was a great day, and I wish that this trip would last so much longer.

Trees, Cows, Peanuts, and More! - Olivia

We first started our third day with the forestry museum in Perry, FL.

After we walked through the main office building, we went across into the next room which talked about turpentine and process to get it from pine trees. It showcased axes, and what tree stumps looked like after they had carved the grooves in them to let the sap flow from the tree. The next glass box showed different types of bugs and maggots in the forest and their life cycle. Next we saw a replica of many animals in the forest setting. Outside, across the field was a house from the 1800’s showing more what it was like to live in north Florida.

Later in the day after lunch we drove to the Full Circle Dairy Farm where the Greg and Cindy Watts, the owners, showed us how we all get our milk.

The first thing we saw was the rotary parlor where the cows enter a small section of metal bars and a worker sanitizes the utters with Iodine solution. The machine moves the cows down to the next worker where she then wiped off the cows' cleaned teats and they connected the milking machine to the cow. After they get milked, the machine automatically pops off and the cows are wiped down with a antibacterial solution to prevent any sickness or infection to their utters. They then return to there stalls.

Next we drove through the feed barn to the baby cow unit where every baby cow born at the farm goes.  Feeders with milk made from powder are given to the calves whenever they like, with small breaks in between. As we moved through the barn, the pens of calves get older and get moved down in groups by age, until they are old enough to be one of the cows producing milk one day.

After some final words at the dairy, we got in a truck and drove down the dirt road to the peanut fields that belonged to a neighboring farmer. We got to see the harvesting trucks picking up the peanuts across the 200+ acre land and shooting out the waste and left over plant behind them.

We ended the day at Saint Marks Lighthouse where we took a selfie with the tower then walked the nature trail and saw pretty yellow flowers that had tons of different types of butterflies around them.

Cattle and Alligators - Jorge

October 14, 2017

Today we visited Ramsey Stock Farm, the family farm of Mrs. Lisa (Ramsey) Hamilton. Mr. Drue and Mrs. Lisa showed us the history that has been in her family for more than 175 years. We learned that the cows roam their land and they have certain plots for certain sod that they grow and sell. Mrs. Hamilton said that farm land has been in her family since the mid 1800’s. They raise Black Angus, Charolais, and Hereford beef cattle. While driving through the property we stumbled upon an American Alligator, which they have many around that have killed some of their calves. We learned that Mrs. Hamilton raises sheep and loves them. I also learned the hard way that she really loves dragonflies, while Mr. Hamilton and Mr. Chip Ramsey (Ms. Lisa's brother) are the mechanical experts and fix most of the farm equipment.

While looking at the sheep in their barn I stumbled upon the most amazing thing ever, it was an old willy Jeep but the body was made out of wood and the floor was a grate so water could get through. After we checked out the whole farm and had our conversations, we followed them to an exotic animal refuge where we got to see zebras, llamas, a camel, and antelope. Then from there we said or farewells and set off for our drive to the hotel.

University of Florida - Tyler

October 14, 2017 

Today we visited the University of Florida’s Horse Teaching Unit. It was an unforgettable experience for everyone involved.  





We visited the horse arena in which they host horse shows and other events. 

We talked about the horses having babies and even went to see the babies in the backfield. When we got to where the baby horses were, we were granted access to go inside the field with the babies. We got to get up close to them and even pet them.

We learned about freeze branding, which is a type of branding for identification, in which instead of fire torching a brand, they freeze it with liquid nitrogen, and press firmly to back thigh for 15-18 seconds. They freeze brand them so you don’t overly damage the hide on the horse, which is what would happen with hot branding. We saw horses with physical injuries, from a missing eye to a cut open jaw. We then went to the tack room to see all the saddles that they have and even learned which saddle goes on what type of horse. 

Then we learned about the horses’ names and how they get their names from a combination of their mother and father’s names. We learned that their most valuable breeding stallion is named Reason. He is very tall quarter horse, who is friendly but tries to bite at times. After all this we bid our farewells and took off to our next location.

Day One - Destiny, Nicole and Olivia

   October 13, 2017

Mike Smith showing us how the get the clam bags in from the gulf.

Today we went to Cedar Keys Aquaculture Farm. We learned about the process of clams being grown, harvested, packaged, and sold. Something that we thought that was interesting is how the clams are grown. They put seedlings (baby clams) on a net and they leave them there to grow up to 15 years or so. Once they are big enough they are harvested to be prepared for shipping to the customer.

Inside the packing facilities.

 The way they prepare the clams is that they put them in this machine that spins, which gets the unnecessary objects of the clams. Once the clams are ready the put them in a sorting machine which puts them in bags. When they have enough clams in the bags they weigh them until they are 5 pounds. Which takes them to a machine to then be stapled shut in a bag and then the clams are ready to be sold. I thought this was a pretty interesting thing to know where clams are coming from.

Next we drove to the Central Florida Equine Learning Unit located in Ocala, FL. Dr Judy Downer then came to lead us on a tour.

Entrance to the horse barn at the Equine Unit of Central Florida College.

She took us to the horse stables first. Each stable had matted floors and bars that opened up into windows for the horses to stick their heads out.

We then headed to another section of the barn where cows are held for many things such as insemination, squeeze chute which calms the cows down, vaccinations, check on pregnancies and a lot more.

From there we went across the fields to the chicken coops, green house, and one of the many gardens on the 100 acre property with a nice view of the land.