Dunlap students learn agriculture and business skills on school farm

DUNLAP, Calif. (KFSN) -- Students in Dunlap are getting hands-on experience in agriculture while learning how to turn their work into a business through a school farm program that encourages learning beyond the classroom.

Inside the greenhouse at Dunlap School, students tend to a wide variety of plants and vegetables, all grown and maintained as part of the school's agriculture and land management elective.

The course is open to sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade students and has drawn strong interest, with about 100 students enrolled.

"It brings a lot of learning to life," Principal Keith Merrihew said. "It's a perfect playground for STEM science, technology, engineering and math."

Students manage nearly every aspect of the farm, from shoveling bark and trimming trees to planting fruits and vegetables.

They also care for nearly two dozen chickens, which requires cleaning the chicken house, ensuring the animals have food and water and collecting eggs.

Eighth-grade student Ava Morrison helps track the egg production.

"We actually have to take the eggs, go back, catalog what we got, how many we got, and, oh, how many cartons as well," Morrison said.

Beyond farming, students also learn agricultural business skills. Eggs, plants and trees produced on the farm are sold at the Reedley Farmers Market, and students are responsible for keeping track of inventory and sales.

Morrison, who assists with bookkeeping, said the experience is helping her build practical skills.

"This can help me out in the future, like knowing how to count and cataloging everything, keeping it on track and just organizing," she said. "That's really helpful."

Merrihew said the program is designed to give students both practical gardening knowledge and exposure to potential career paths.

"They can grow a garden at home, and we're providing some of those resources for the kids," he said. "But it can also educate them as to what they might like to do in the future, what potential job choices they can make in the area of agriculture."

The school farm continues to evolve.

Students have also begun using artificial intelligence to create prototypes of what they would like the farm to look like in the future.

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