More than 200 students from 10 public and private schools descended upon the Rudolph Schulterbrandt Agriculture Complex Thursday to learn just what it takes to grow fruit, vegetables and livestock on St. Croix.
In celebration of National Agriculture Week, the Department of Agriculture hosted the open house to show the public their efforts to make agriculture a viable V.I. industry. The theme for this year’s observance is “V.I. Agriculture: Your Food—Your Farmer.”
“This is part of our continuing outreach efforts to increase awareness of agriculture on St. Croix,” said Agriculture Commissioner Louis E. Petersen Jr. “This really speaks to the youth to help them understand where food comes from. We want to nurture a new generation of farmers enthused about agriculture.”
The students were enthused about the tractors, excavator and bulldozers that heavy equipment operators J. Melendez and Luis Soto talked about. Melendez had to tell them a few times to just look at and not touch the equipment.
The guys covered the five stages of preparing the soil and told about each piece of heavy equipment used for each stage. Melendez then got on a royal blue Holland tractor and did some disc plowing along the vegetable field.
Aron Nickie, an 11-year-old at Claude O. Markoe Elementary School, said he was really interested in the tractors and the mechanical aspect of them.
Sue Lakos, from UVI’s Cooperative Extension Service, showed off her huge, fluffy, white great Pyrenees pooch that is trained to guard livestock. The students also got a kick out of hearing that a donkey makes a good guard animal.
Dressed in protective coveralls, the Agriculture Department’s Carlos Roblas spoke to the children about farm safety, highlighting equipment like protective eye and ear gear. Marilyn Chakroff, from the department’s forestry division, had samples of the invasive water hyacinth and mother-in-law’s tongue (aka the snake plant), that she says can be made into fiber.
Wayne Sobratti, of the department’s nursery maintenance division, displayed and talked about fruit production to the students.
Students in grades one through eight were encouraged to write poems on the theme. Six students from Beverly Peele’s advanced multi-age class at Claude O. Markoe were the only ones to take part writing and reading poetry. Petersen presented the class with a tool set and basil and parsley plants.
The students hopped on the two Soul Trains (a tractor and trailer with seats) and were shuttled across Queen Mary Highway to fields of grass that were cut, raked and baled in square and round bales.
Older folks from Richmond and Aldersville Senior Centers, and Herbert Grigg Home came out and made the open house into a social event. Island Dairies provided drinks for the affair.
Agriculture Department Project Coordinator Audrey Browne said this is the fifth year they have held the celebration and open house, and each year it gets bigger and better.
Sponsoring the weeks’ activities, along with the department, were the Office of the Governor, individual farmers, the Department of Tourism, and the UVI Cooperative Extension Service.
