Prairie Rose School Division students from Irvine and Bow Island met Friday to learn about sustainable agriculture at Senator Gershaw School in Bow Island. Bob Schneider/CHAT News

By Jesse Gill

Students from Bow Island and Irvine learn about sustainable agriculture practices

Oct 18, 2024 | 5:11 PM

Local sustainable agriculture practices focus on how we will feed nine billion people by 2050 in an environmentally sound, socially responsible and financially viable way now and in the future.

Students are being given the opportunity to engage in many facets of agriculture; from growing crops and produce to raising livestock.

Some students from the Prairie Rose School Division met today at Senator Gershaw School in Bow Island for a lesson on sustainable agriculture.

A project throughout the school year is underway where students from Bow Island and Irvine are working together to learn about growing crops.

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Mya Hodgson, a Grade 5 student at Senator Gershaw School in Bow Island said she has already learned a bit about agriculture through gardening. Bob Schneider/CHAT News

Grade 5 student Mya Hodgson, said she’s learned a bit already from their garden at Senator Gershaw School and at her home.

“At the school crop, we were growing pumpkins, eggplants, beans, peas, and I think watermelon as well,” Hodgson said.

“Then at our house, we grew pumpkins and basically the same thing.”

The Indigenous tradition of planting the three sister crops, was discussed by Farmer Nichole Neubauer during a presentation with the students.

These include corn, squash and beans, with the beans providing nitrogen to help the corn and squash grow.

Ella Felesky, a Grade 5 student from Irvine School enjoys working on the studies with Senator Gershaw Students. Bob Schneider/CHAT News

Ella Felesky from Irvine School is excited about the cross-school project.

“Well I think it’s awesome that our schools are connected and get to learn from each other, and both meet,” Felesky said.

Students observed and learned how to identify the pinto beans they will be planting.

A fitting seed, as the mascot for the community of Bow Island is Pinto Macbean.

Leah Punchin, a Grade 5 student at Senator Gershaw School is enjoying learning about Agriculture. Bob Schneider/CHAT News

Leah Punchin for Senator Gershaw School has enjoyed the project.

“We get to plant lots of things, and then later in the year, we’re going to harvest them with Irvine,” Punchin said.

“We do lots of things, we’re not together physically, but we get to do it as a group. That’s really exciting,” she added.

and it’s really cool how you get to see, all the different parts of it, and all the different things that are happening.”

Included in the presentation on Friday was learning about protecting soil from erosion.

Students worked in groups to do their best at covering the soil to help it retain moisture.

Barent Wever, a Grade 5 student from Senator Gershaw School was excited for the sustainable agriculture learning, as it’s something he is familiar with being part of a farm family. Bob Schneider/CHAT News

This is a subject Senator Gershaw student Barent Wever already had a strong grasp on being part of a farm family.

“We have a feedlot here and we have like a pretty big grain farm,” Wever said.

Kyler Sutton, a Grade 5 Student from Irvine School said he isn’t as familiar with Agriculture, but is excited to learn more about it. Bob Schneider/CHAT News

Kyler Sutton from Irvine School isn’t as familiar with Agriculture yet, but is excited to learn.

“Growing plants and trying to learn how to pick them, and learn all about them,” Sutton said.

Neubauer is happy to see this agriculture component added to the Alberta curriculum for Grade 5.

The group will be planting a crop to grow in the greenhouse at Senator Gershaw School over the winter, and will have a trading post where they will sell their crops when harvested.