Approximately 600 Murfreesboro City School third-graders from six schools experienced MTSU farm life during a field trip on Wednesday. The field trip is the culminating event for third grade as part of the Farm to School curriculum.

About half of the Murfreesboro City Schools third-graders learned about the MTSU gardens while the rest took in the dairy portion of the university’s Experiential Learning and Research Center. Unfortunately, weather conditions prevented the remaining schools to attend the farm field trip

The student experience included learning about cows, calves and other farm animals, drinking chocolate milk from the MT Dairy, making crafts out of dried beans, churning butter and learning, the necessity of honey bees, as well as about farm equipment and many aspects of the working farm located in Lascassas, Tennessee.

“The field trip is only one part of the Farm to School program that spans throughout the year,” says Darla Sampson, MCS Coordinated School Health Coordinator. “Our program includes gardening, classroom curriculum, Chef Academy and more activities for learning throughout the year.” MTSU students and professors shared information about the dairy, the garden and life on a farm. The farm was divided into educational stations including tractor and equipment safety, dairy production, educational crafts, garden areas, grain production, honey bees, and making butter.

“Farm to School programs are a great way to get students excited about healthy eating and learning about food production,” says Sandy Scheele, MCS Coordinator of Nutrition. Farm to school enriches the connection students and communities have with fresh, healthy food and local food producers. Students gain access to healthy, local foods as well as education opportunities such as school gardens, cooking lessons and farm field trips.

Farm to School field trip is a partnership with MTSU and MCS. Volunteers from Farm Credit Mid America and the Rutherford County Health Department participated in the education stations. The Farm Bureau Ag Simulator was a new aspect of the event this year.