Cardinal Community Academy's
Agricultural Education Corner
This week in Ag....
Students are learning about the various breeds and species of livestock.
2024 Winter Quarter Highlights..
Students chose Animal Science as their area of study for the first quarter of 2024. In this quarter, we started off with discussing animal domestication in which the students were tasked with finding domestication highlights to add to a timeline displayed in the Ag Outdoor Classroom. The students were assigned a Research Boot Box project and presentation that we worked on for approximately four weeks. The project had to be related to Animal Science, a breed of livestock or an event in animal science history. See examples of the student's work below !!!
Next, we covered Animal Identification - ear tagging, ear notching, tattooing and branding. We created animal identification plates to practice ear tagging with an ear tagging gun. We practiced ear notching in class and took a field trip to TAG genetics, where the students were able to practice ear notching on live baby pigs! Thank you TAG Genetics for making this experience!!! Guest speakers presented on branding and allowed the kids to brand their own leather hide. Students were challenged with creating their own individual brand and sharing what this brand meant to them. Next, we tackled Cattle Drives, the history of the west, animal terminology and animal digestive systems, animal breeds and their characteristics.
2023 Winter Quarter Highlights..
Students are studying Agricultural Technology this quarter. We will discuss technologies we use in Animal agriculture - specifically dairy tracking devices, embryo transfer and artificial insemination. They will learn about Dolly the Sheep and begin research on their debate topic of "cloning". We have been heavy with guest speakers this quarter - Jess Nighswonger (Schrader Auction), Devin Baker (BW Fusions), Kasen Huwa (H2 Enterprises) and Ryan Amen (Laser Technologies). All of these agriculturalists have presented and shown the students how technology is integrated in their jobs. Whether it be - auction platforms, GMOs or using drones to map and survey land. We rounded off the Quarter heading to Rocky Mountain Sires to see artificial insemination preservation in person.
2023 Fall Quarter Highlights..
Students have spent the first couple weeks of Ag Education at CCA learning about how agriculture impacts their daily lives. Students then spent time discussing and researching on a commodity from Weld County. They then presented to their class and brought in a by-product of their commodity to share with their classmates. Guest Speaker, Duke Latham of Cargill, came in to discuss commodity trading and the commodity market. Students have picked an Agricultural Issue and presented to grades K-5 on their issue! Our students have learned how to evaluate pasture land and perform the Career Development Event, Range Judging! Congrats to our boys who represented CCA at the State Range Judging competition September 26th in New Raymer!
We have toured Roggen Elevator to learn more about commodity trading and how we market the wheat and other commodities we raise in Weld County. Students toured H2 to learn more about shop safety and land reclamation. We would like to thank H2 for supplying lunch for our Ag Students! Students were tasked with reciting the FFA Creed this quarter. Students presented on their solution to their Agricultural Issues Project towards the end of the quarter. Our students are so creative and have found a multitude of ways to combat current issues in ag! Chad Rupple presented on woodworking, how he got started in the trade, common wood types and showcased some of his projects with the students. The next day they played Spoons to reiterate the knowledge they learned related to woodworking tools. We finished up the Woodworking Unit with a Hand Tool Relay - this was so fun to watch the kids practice basic woodworking skills. Weld Central FFA Officers, Past State FFA Officers and the Weld Central Parlimentary Pro Team came to present to the students on opportunities in FFA and agriculture, how to conduct a meeting and answer questions about contests available to students.