Last week, the Niagara County Farm Bureau hosted a farm tour in eastern Niagara County. Spearheaded by board member Pete Russell, the group visited Silsby Settlement Farms, Veratti Farms, Becker Farms, Sun Orchard Fruit Company and Russell Cold Storage. The group included educators from the Albion, Medina, Lyndonville, Barker, Royalton-Hartland and Akron districts.
Russell explained, “Years ago Niagara County Farm Bureau hosted tours for elected officials so that they could understand the impact agriculture had on the economy of our area. The future of agriculture is with the young people. To ensure they are studying areas that can be applied to agriculture and to know the myriad of opportunities, we thought we should reach out to educators. Then they could better guide students.”
At Silsby Settlement Farms, Jeremy Silsby demonstrated the use of drones on farms and explained the advanced computer systems installed in their tractors. “Those present were astounded by the level of technology used on the farm,” he noted. “They were enthralled watching the drone operate.”
Veratti Farm, a dairy outfit, uses other scientific fields including nutrition. The difference in manpower between the operations was apparent. A grain grower with large equipment needs fewer employees than an operation that involves livestock care.
During lunch at Becker Farms, Matthew Sweeney, Roy-Hart Ag teacher and FFA adviser, addressed the group. He explained the structure of a school-based agricultural education program and demonstrated how he strives to achieve the mission of agriculture education: preparing students for successful careers and a lifetime of informed choice in the global agriculture, food, fiber, and natural resource systems. At the end of his presentation, he turned the program over to two students and FFA members, Lorna Becker (FFA chapter president) and Nicholas Armenia (FFA chapter secretary), who shared their experiences as students in Roy-Hart’s agriculture program. Both are accomplished FFA members at the local, regional, state and national levels, earning recognition in leadership and career development event competitions.
Following lunch, the group toured Sun Orchard Fruit Company to see what is involved in taking apples from field to store. That was followed by a visit to Russell Cold Storage, one of the locations where apples are stored until they are packed. The apples are placed in a controlled atmosphere room so that the quality can be maintained.
Michael Gendrue, guidance counselor at Barker Central School said of the tour, “To see the sheer scope and size of some of the farms and agricultural operations in the county was eye opening. The variety of operations. The technology at Silsby Farms that allows them to plant and process their crops all with employment of about 2-1/2 Full Time Equivalents. Then to go to Verratti Farms and see what must get accomplished every day on a dairy farm, 24/7, and with much less technology (Verratti Farms is a self-described “low tech” operation) and much more manpower. Plus, Jeremy and Ben Verratti were such engaging speakers / tour guides. Lunch at Becker Farms was excellent as was the story the owners shared of their vision and growth at Becker Farms. Matthew Sweeney was most impressive detailing the agricultural program at Roy-hart. What an accomplishment in such a short period of time. Touring the Sun Orchard Fruit facility and Russell Farm cold storage was a technological whirlwind. Witnessing how the apples are sorted and get packaged and learning about the science behind climate control in cold storage was wild. It really was a ‘who knew?’ experience.”
Tim Bigham, senior field adviser for New York Farm Bureau, said of the tour, “I commend Peter Russell, who actually gave credit to his son Max for the idea, for following through with giving a county agriculture tour to school officials. With the full support of the Niagara County Farm Bureau board and collaboration with Cornell Cooperative Extension as well as several willing hosts, a significant group of educators from the area were given farm and food processor tours and had discussions about how to better train future agricultural leaders.”
If your group would be interested in a “who knew?” experience, please let us know. There are a plethora of opportunities to visit farms, have a farmer visit your school or organization, or participate in our Ag in the Classroom book reading experiences. Contact me and meet other farmers who are outstanding in their fields.