News

By: Casey Spears  

Chilly weather and rainy conditions couldn’t keep the smiles off Central Colchester Junior High’s (CCJHS) Grade 8 students. Busing in from Onslow, the students were the last school to take part in Dalhousie University, Faculty of Agriculture’s three-day Amazing AgZone Race. All across campus students participated in multiple workshops throughout the day. Many of these stations included diverse topics such as sheep and wool, DNA extraction from strawberries, climate change and agriculture trivia. The workshops were run by knowledgeable staff on campus who were able to make the learning experience exciting and interesting.

Together with Nova Scotia Department of Agriculture and the Nova Scotia Agriculture Awareness Committee, Dal AC partnered with the organizations with the goal to educate and inform young minds of the importance of agricultural careers and the science behind agriculture. “A lot of students haven’t been near animals before so sometimes AgZone is their only opportunity to experience agriculture or the farm animals. One student said she had driven by cows before but had never seen one up close, so this was a great experience for her!” Tracey Murdock, ruminant manager, happily explains. “I think AgZone is an awesome chance to expose students to the animals and maybe they’ll take up an interest and even pursue a career in it,” Murdock expresses.

Taking up a career in agriculture is exactly what 14-year old CCJHS student David McCurdy has in mind for his future. Eager and knowledgeable, McCurdy already knows he’s destined for a profession in the agricultural industry. “My family owns a dairy farm and my dad went to NSAC for his bachelor of science. I’m going to come here too,” McCurdy proudly states. “My favourite station so far has been the horticulture green house. I found it really interesting but I enjoyed seeing the sheep too.” With the knowledgeable staff at the Ruminant Animal Centre (RAC), McCurdy and his classmates were able to see first-hand the many uses for sheep’s wool and learn about the lives of sheep.

Similar to McCurdy, eighth grader Gracie Wilson has her goals set high. When asked if she would be interested in attending Dal AC when she’s older she happily exclaimed “Yes! Of course!” Wilson grew up with many animals and explains “I have horses, chickens and ducks right now but I used to have sheep and pigs too.” Wilson is obviously no stranger to sheep. Even though she’s familiar with owning sheep, she says her favourite workshop was the sheep and wool demonstration at the RAC. “I loved how the wool was turned into a blanket,” she says.

McCurdy and Wilson are two of the 442 eighth graders who were lucky enough to experience the different aspects of agriculture on campus this week. Exposing young people to different aspects of life can get their minds turning and help them realize the different areas they can study in the future or simply educate them on the importance of agriculture and all that it can do for the world. It’s safe to say AgZone did just that this year. The three-day event left students more experienced in agriculture and pondering knew ideas of their potential career paths. And one girl was even lucky enough to see a cow for the first time in her life.