Classroom on the Farm at Woldt Farms in Calumet County, April 18, 2024. PC: Fox 11 Online
CALUMET COUNTY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — School in the field was in session at Woldt Farms near Brillion.
The very first “Classroom on the Farm” kicked off this Thursday morning.
School buses and hundreds of fourth-grade students were on the move.
“So far, it’s our first go at this. It’s been great. It was a little mass chaos getting 200 kids off the bus at the same time, getting them to where they need to be,” said Macey Pingel, Calumet County Farm Bureau Board of Directors Member.
Where they need to be, is eight different agriculture-related stations. From learning how to feed the cows, to climbing on the giant farm machinery, Macey Pingel says each session is 12 minutes long.
“Calumet County is a pretty rural county. But there’s definitely kids that are very far-removed from the farm. And we’re trying to bring them back to the farm,” she said.
Pingel says one station features baby goats. And at another, a pen filled with newborn dairy calves.
“It takes about nine months for the baby to fully grow,” said one farm worker.
Fourth-grade student Kylie Brenner says she enjoys working with animals.
“I liked the calves. He said one of them was born a couple hours ago. That was pretty cool, yeah,” said Kylie Brenner, Chilton Area Catholic School.
Fourth-grade student Clayton Grenzer says he likes the crops.
“Probably the feeding part. The feeding station. We got to see like all the different kinds of feed,” said Clayton Grenzer, Chilton Area Catholic School.
Macey Pingel says the classroom on the farm is designed to be more than just a field trip.
“We want kids to know, where their food comes from. It doesn’t come from the grocery store. Yes, you go and buy it there, but there’s great places like Woldt’s Farm Store, where you can literally get farm-to-table food,” she said.
Students also received a backpack, filled with all-things agriculture.
Included were product samples, and informational packets to help teachers with follow-up instruction in the classroom.
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