Overview of the Trip
*McCrory Gardens*
-SDSU-
*Ag in mOtIoN*
July 26, 2010-
Today we went to McCrory gardens, we learned about its history and we learned many new plants. We also got to see an old gas station that they have made into a cute little flower house. Next, we got to see a house that was made from straw bales! It was REALLY cool! We saw several types of flowers and we also got to touch a sensitive plant, if you touched it or breathed on it, it would bundle up and fall down. That was really neat! We even had an awesome tour guide, he told us everything we needed to know. All of us had a fun time and learned lots about the SDSU McCrory Gardens, it is a very nice place to visit you would really enjoy it! I loved it! :) When you get a chane like this take it!
Kalli Van Ryswyk<3
Today, the Traveling Ag class went to the SDSU Dairy Bar. At the Dairy Bar is where they use milk to make ice cream and cheese. They gave us a tour of the plant and explained what all went on in the building. They make tons and tons of ice cream and cheese. They are famous for the cookies and cream ice cream flavor. They also change the colors of the colby jack cheese to yellow and blue instead of having yellow and white. It was very interesting and we had a lot of fun learning about how ice cream and cheese is made. We even got to try some ice cream!
Jackie Ingvaldson :)
July 27,2010
Today the traveling Ag class visited the Corn Palace in Mitchell for a tour. We first watched a movie and then our tour guide told us more about it. We learned that the corn palace was built in 1892 by Louis Beckwith and L.O. Gale. We also learned that the use corn, milo, rye, oat, and sour dock to create the corn palace. Today the corn palace is a place for visitors, hosting basketball games, stage shows, and other activities.
Karl C.
July 27,2010
Today we went to the Sertoma Butterfly House. We learned that there are about 800 species of butterflys. We also got to see many other species of animals, like cockroaches and terantulas and some other things. We also got to see the butterflys before it opened to the public in the mourning. Then after the tour we got to go to the gift shop and look around.
Courtney W.
Tuesday July 27, 2010
Well, today we went to Genex, which is a facility that collects semen from many different breeds and types of bulls. We had the opportunity to see a full collection. It was really interesting to see and learn about the process to use. We also had to do an assignment where each group had to come up with a question to ask Jeff (the bull man), so we learned a lot more about Genex and the process than we expected. For example... A huge semen tank can hold 125,000 straws of semen, which in reality could breed up to 125,000 cows. Also it takes only 5cc of semen to make about 100 straws, which can breed 100 cows using Artificial Insemination (AI). Well, sorry if my story for the day is a little boring... I really did like Genex, even if my story bored you.
Well, See Ya Later! Kendra
Wednesday July 28, 2010
Today we had the wonderful opportunity to visit the site of Happy Hydroponic Tomatoes! When we first got there we went into the greenhouses where they kept all of their products. As soon as we walked in we were greeted by what seemed like millions of tomatoes! There were tomatoes left and right! We had to wear covers for our shoes and were not able to touch the plants because they are susceptible to diseases and other disorders as well. We got a guided tour through the whole greenhouse by the owner himself. It was very, very interesting to see how they grew their tomatoes using hydroponics. Not only did they have tomatoes, but they also had cucumbers as well! they also had lettuce. I'm glad that I got the opportunity to experience this trip and can't wait for more! I'm having a blast:)
Devin:)
Where you go if you really had to hide from someone? Well how about The Badlands!! This National Park is 244,000 acres of hills, caves, and rock formations. Today our group got to drive through the Badlands and we got to stop to get out and explore. Luckily, no one got lost The views were amazing and we saw a lot of wildlife, like mule deer, pronghorn, prairie dogs , and buffalo. As we explored the different rock formations, we got a chance to see some fossil exhibits and take some pretty neat photgraphs, too! Overall, this trip has been worth it and my "classmates" are awesome!
Emily B.
Today we stopped at an interesting stop that we have never seen before. We stopped at the Cleghorn fish hatchery in Rapid City. We first saw how the eggs of the fish come in, the come by Fedex. Then we saw how they clean the eggs and then put them into containers for a little while. Then they move them out to tanks where they feed and raise them. After a certain age they move them into bigger tanks and then into bigger tanks yet. Finally they release them into lakes and rivers to the wild. this year they had a little over 153,000 rainbow trout and a little over 115,000 salmon. We had fun there and learned a lot.
Neil M.
This is a review for the week. On Monday we started off the day with delicious ice cream from SDSU ice cream factory. Tuesday we went to the Corn Palace and Wednesday we went to the Popcorn Ball Factory and got some good popcorn balls. Then we went on to the Badlands. Thursday, our last day, we went to beautiful Mount Rushmore. I thought this was a really good trip and a good opportunity for everyone. I learned a lot on this trip and would go again if I had the chance.
Brooke L.
From the teacher's viewpoint...
I am so excited to report back that our first-ever Ag in Motion Class was a huge success! We are traveling back to Minnesota right now, and from the sound of sleeping students, I know they worked, and played hard on this trip.
Monday - We picked up students from all across South Eastern Minnesota and started our trek out to South Dakota. Since our 36 students were from 8 different school districts, a get-to-know-you game needed to be introduced to break the ice. Our first stop was in Brookings at McCrory Gardens on the SDSU campus. Students were introduced to a large garden that had many varieties of annuals and perennials. They saw test plots, a sensory garden and a house made out of straw. They then had to take pictures and identify 16 different species of flowers. I know my Floriculture students were glad they had paid attention during our Flower of the Day! We then headed on to the SDSU Dairy Bar to see first-hand how ice cream and other dairy products were made. SDSU has the only working butter churn in South Dakota and is the birth place of Cookies 'n' Cream Ice Cream. Students were treated to an ice cream cone and went on to complete an assignment on ice cream flavors and the steps in producing ice cream. We ended the day at the Super 8, had a meeting, and let the kids relax and catch up on their homework.
Tuesday - We headed out nice and early to Sioux Falls where we took in the Sertoma Butterfly House. Students learned about the habitats of butterflies from around the world and had a chance to interact with this species for an hour before the place was open to the public. They learned to id species of butterflies and answer other questions about butterfly habitat. We then headed on to Mitchell and Genex. Students were able to see how a semen was collected from a bull, then viewed the sample under microscopes and last looked at the storage/freezing and shipping process of semen straws. We couldn't resist, probably because it is the symbol of the FFA, but we headed over to the Corn Palace. Students viewed a movie on the history of the Corn Palace and went on a tour of the palace. They answered questions about the process and the crops that go into decorating this tourist sight every year. After a long day of traveling, students enjoyed the AmericInn and watched the weather closely as storms rumbled by, but missed us that evening.
Wednesday - This was our long day of the trip. We headed out to Kimball that morning and learned not to judge a business by is meek outsides. Students went to the Kimball Popcorn Ball Factory to learn about entrepreneurship and making popcorn balls. This little factory was a favorite among many of our students, especially with the sampling of the product afterwards. Pukwana was our next stop at Happy Hydros Hydroponics where students were treated to a look inside a greenhouse where tomatoes, cucumbers and lettuce are all grown hydroponically. We then headed over the river and into the Wild West side of South Dakota and to the Badlands where students learned about the geology of this interesting stop. Our bus driver was cool enough to take us off the beaten path in search of Bison. We never did find any, but enjoyed the scenery anyways! We pulled into Rapid City that evening and called the Econo Lodge home for two nights. Students enjoyed the waterslide, but did spend a good amount of time both nights working on their assignments.
Thursday - We dodged the bullet for rain showers, at least in the morning. We started the morning at Cleghorn Fish Hatchery where students were able to see step by step from embryo to juvenile fish how rainbow trout and salmon grow. They completed an assignment on the life cycles and some even enjoyed feeding the fish. We headed on to Custer State Park in the Black Hills. We met up with 2 foresters and learned more about what they do in the park, how to determine height and age of a tree and why you see the markings you do on all the trees you see in the park. Students enjoyed a picnic lunch at Sylvan Lake. We then headed on to Mount Rushmore. Students were able to enjoy a popular tourist sight and they also prepared a lesson plan for elementary students about this sight. We attempted to take everyone to the Alpine Slides, but the rain decided to come visit at the same time, so we headed back to the hotel where students finished up assignments and put their finishing touches on their Photo Scavengar Hunts.
Friday - It was an early morning, but everyone just wants to get on the road and home, so the bus took off at 6am.
We want to thank everyone for all of their support, especially: The Sheehan's, Poet Biorefining of Glenville, the Albert Lea Seedhouse, Glenville FFA Alumni and Cindy, Debbie and Val at GEHS. Your support has helped make this trip such a success. This was such a great opportunity for students to learn in a different environment and with students that they would not normally interact with. What a cool opportunity, and we can't wait to start planning another Ag in Motion for next summer! Please go to www.aginmotion.wikispaces.com to read more blogs from our students and other students that were on the trip!
Friday July 30, 2010
Well I'm supposed to talk about the wildlife at Custer State Park. Well there wasn't any wildlife, a few of my friends saw a chimpmunk and duck but other than that there was nothing there. Usually there are buffalo, bighorn sheep, and bobcats. You know stuff of that nature, well thats all I have to say. Now I'm going to go to sleep because its a long long bus ride.