Middle school students learned about agriculture
and a whole lot more at a U.S. Department
of Agriculture garden just outside of Washington,
D.C.
The students were on a field trip to the Agricultural
Research Service's Student Discovery Garden.
When we say agriculture a lot of people just
think about plants and a chicken or two, but
we let them know that agriculture is so much
more.
From our experience we see that they learn
agriculture is everything.
It's everywhere.
About it all.
They get to actually touch and taste and smell
and dig and pick and do everything and experience
everything that agriculture is really about.
The students from Buck Lodge Middle School
in Adelphi, Maryland seemed to enjoy the hands
on learning experience.
There's a saying and it's called tell me I
forget, show me I remember, involve me I learn.
I actually like the bugs.
Most girls think that they're disgusting and
stuff, but I think it's pretty interesting.
We have a bee problem, where like the bees
are starting to run out so if there aren't
any bees there's nobody to pollinate the plants,
and if there is nobody to pollinate the plants
there won't be any food for other living things
to eat.
I also learned about wild and domesticated
plants and how they're different and how even
though you may bring wild plants from other
countries and put them in here they still
wouldn't be domestic.
ARS says the garden has come a long way since
it was started in two thousand nine.
We had just a few visitors and as of this
summer we've had over two thousand people
come through.
Visiting scientists, students, community leaders.
In Beltsville, Maryland for the U.S. Department
of Agriculture, I'm Bob Ellison.
