Outdoor classroom

By CAITLIN SULLIVAN/Staff

Three hundred sixth-graders descended onto Johnson’s Highland Dairy Farm on Tuesday and another 300 are scheduled to show up today at part of the sixth grade Conservation Farm Field Day organized by Holston River Soil & Water Conservation District.
The students picked at benthic macroinvertebrates from the stream, fed calves and learned about how a dairy works and where the manure goes. They also learned about topographic maps, cover crops, soil and erosion, the water cycle, water conservation and the effects of land use on water quality. These are all things the sixth-graders would be learning anyway, from their textbooks, but on this day they get to see, smell and feel it.
Dave Johnson began opening up his family farm to school children about 20 years ago. Usually a teacher would call him and a class of schoolchildren would take a tour of the farm. Since the first Farm Field Day five years ago, his farm reaches more people.
“It’s a real good thing for kids and it’s a good thing for agriculture,” Johnson said. “As time goes on fewer and fewer people have access to farms and agriculture.”
He said kids coming to the farm get them in touch with their food and where it comes from.
Farm Field Day Organizer Christine Hannen said the Johnson farm is special because of its work protecting water quality and managing animal waste.
“We have some students that have never been to a creek or a farm before,” said Hannen. “This gets them out and connects them to where their water and milk come from and I also hope it inspires them about science. All of these things we could do in a classroom but why not be outside.”
Hannen said what the students learn here directly relates to what their learning in science class. She said students learn environmental and natural science in sixth grade and in particular they focus on water.
In addition, Hannen said, all students in Virginia are required to have a meaningful watershed experience, to learn about their watershed, and this Farm Field Day fulfills that.
“They can see it on a big scale,” she said. “While our teachers have a good background they don’t necessarily have the environmental training so we’re here to help with that… I think it’s also valuable for the natural resources people to get out and teach what they do every day… and the students get to see that these are actual jobs the can do.”
Johnson said he became interested in water quality issues about 30 years ago and worked to stabilize stream banks, including the banks of Hutton Creek, which runs through his 1,100-acre farm. The Johnsons grow 400 acres of corn and raise hay for their 900 calves, cows and heifers.
He said his land, conveniently located near the interstate and with all this water running through it, makes a great classroom.
“I like seeing all these kids out here,” he said. “Kids are getting further and further from agriculture and I don’t know how to reverse that trend.”
He said there are fewer and fewer farms because it’s often cost prohibitive to go into the business these days.
“Unless you’re born on a farm or have family connections it’s awfully hard to get into agriculture because of the cost involved in it,” Johnson said.
He said people often sell their farm so they can retire because even if they have children the odds of them passing it on to them are slim. Not for Johnson, though.
“My daughter came back,” he said of Rena, who studied dairy science and now works on the farm. “I hope there’s a possibility (this farm will) go to another generation.”
To contact Caitlin Sullivan e-mail csullivan@wythenews.com or call (276) 628-7101.