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Day at the ranch

Malta Elementary heads to Hinman Angus Ranch for Ag Education Day

Nearly 200 Malta Elementary students hopped on school busses and headed east of town for a field trip to the Hinman Angus Ranch last Wednesday to participate in Ag Education Day where they travelled to six different stations to learn about farming and ranching.

The program at Hinman Angus Ranch started in 2009 when Dave and Yvonne Hinman decided they wanted to do something nice for children that would double as a learning opportunity.

"I think the children are getting something out of it each time they come out and that is our main goal," Dave said. "They are learning how agriculture actually effects them right here in Malta, Mont."

Dave said that before starting the Ag Education Day he was on a plane on the way back from an event in Kentucky when a conversation with a young woman, a college student, admitted to him that she didn't know what "agriculture" was.

"She was a very smart girl, but the idea that she didn't know what agriculture is," Dave said. "I got to thinking that if we could touch at least a few kids with these classes that it would be great and if we weren't going to do it we wondered if anyone else would."

Dave said that community was quick to help the Hinmans with their Ag Ed Day – there was at least 25 local volunteers on hand Wednesday to help teach the classes -- and added that teachers and students alike seemed excited for the day.

"I think at the end of the day, each one of those kids at each of the different stations feel like they have accomplished something," Dave added. "The point we are trying to make to the kids is that agriculture is the backbone of the whole country."

The six stations the students spent the morning attending covered animals auctions, farm and ranch safety, soils and waters, milk cow and by products, sheep and shearing, wool and ewe and an outside event called "How Much do Cows Eat?" The Cows station was taught by Craig French and Tanner Anderson and after the two men explained how cows are fed on a ranch, they split the students into teams of two and raced through an obstacle course in which they had to pull the hay in a tractor (using a sled instead) drop it off for their animals to eat, water the animals and then head back to the barn.

Treyton Wilke, a third grader, teamed up with Roy Alexander as one of the first teams to tackle the obstacle course. Wilke said he and Roy did well on their trip through the course – pointing out that the team beat their competition back to the barn -- and said pulling the hay was the toughest part of the task, but said he enjoyed it nonetheless.

"That hay is pretty heavy," Treyton said, "but it was still fun. This ranch is pretty nice."

Alexander agreed the hay pulling was tough and agreed that he would eat his Wheaties and do push-ups in case he was called back into competition next year.

Second graders Mackayla Bachmeier and Morgan McEwen also joined forces during the cow feeding exercise and were pleased as punch with their effort (they beat a team of two young men in the contest.)

"We did well because we worked as a team," Bachmeier admitted.

"I didn't know how we would do," McEwen added. "Pulling the hay was tough because it was up a hill."

McEwen said that she currently lives on a farm with her family and said the field trip was fun because she enjoyed the animals. Bachmeier said she doesn't live on a farm or ranch, but said that she now wants to when she gets older.

"I want 1,000 acres and I will grow potatoes and corn and I will have horses, cows and sheep," she said.

The students and teachers broke for lunch around 11:30 and had Montana Beef Burgers for lunch. The Hinmans thanked the students and teachers for attending and the stations teachers for their time and effort.

 

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