Tag: NDSU

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Food Systems i-Three Corps Information

i-Three Issue Corps – Forks Mobile Market and Education Trolley

Everything takes longer than you think it will.  -Hofstadter’s Law
The recursive nature of the law is a reflection of the widely experienced difficulty of estimating complex tasks despite all best efforts, including knowing that the task is complex. (Wikipedia.org)

Forks Mobile Market Trolly interior refurbishing
Forks Mobile Market Trolly interior refurbishing

In our wisdom we are following the law very closely. Our Trolley is undergoing restoration at a pace slower than anticipated due to the nature of utilizing expert volunteers. We anticipate it will be between 2 – 3 weeks before we are able to have it full of produce and traveling our city.
The interior was designed by an amazing group of young architects from a local company called JLG Architects. They have spent countless hours researching, measuring, grilling their colleagues, (serving them lunch in exchange for their best ideas!), designing 3D models, meeting with us over and over again. The outside of the Trolley had wood that needed to be replaced. Rather than go with the original design A & L Siding’s master carpenter is making arches over the windows so the wood follows the curve for a much more aesthetic look. The time to remake all the woodwork is running into the hundreds of hours, most done in the evening and on weekends. The visual effect will be stunning! The Trolley has been buffed, an awning will be attached in the next week or two. The shelving, refrigeration units, and baskets have all been ordered and are ready to be installed.

Our agritourism event has been rescheduled for fall due to the late start. On September 7th our stakeholders will be invited to a “lunch in the garden” event that will be held at Stable Days Youth Ranch (SDYR). The Trolley will be there and each person will receive a token to purchase produce. We will have an educational program discussing the Trolley plans, food insecurity in our region, promoting domestic agriculture and the importance and benefits of buying local produce. Speakers will include a horticulturist, a farmer and the Director of SDYR. The Community Garden at SDYR and the garden plots that have a “Grow a Row to Share” price for anyone interested will be toured. Brochures and information will be available on how others can get involved.

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Food Systems i-Three Corps

i-Three Issue Corps – Kids, Compost, Crops, and Consumption – Part II

The Kids, Compost, Crops & Consumption team from North Dakota State University Extension aims to increase youth involvement in the food cycle. The target outcomes include: 1) increasing students’ knowledge about agriculture and where their food comes from, 2) increasing vegetable consumption among students and 3) teaching students how to garden as an economical option for fresh food. The project timeline was December 2015-May 2016. Each month from December thru May a new lesson was presented to 85 3rd and 4th grade urban students. In this post, we will share the last 2 lessons as well as the final review lesson. To read about the first 3 lessons see our previous blog post.

Lesson 4: Increasing Vegetable Production – Todd Weinmann, Extension Horticulture Agent/Cass County

Lesson 4 was about teaching the kids that vegetables and fruits have different appearances and grow on different parts of the plants from each other.  Most of the students recognized the majority of the vegetables and fruits brought in, but not all of them.  The “life cycle” of Photosynthesis was taught in addition to the Macro-nutrients of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.  They discussed the difference between tap versus fibrous root systems.  A “game” involving movement was incorporated to help encourage exercise.

Lesson 5: Plants as Food – Nikki Johnson, Area Extension Specialist, Community Health and Nutrition

The last puzzle piece to our food cycle was put into place during our April lesson. Up to this point, our students have learned all about where their food comes from, how it grows, what it needs to grow and all that was left was nutrition. Students spent the day learning how different colors of fruits and vegetables provide us with different nutrients, such as phytonutrients, vitamins and minerals. To do this, we had students break into teams and work together trying to figure out what how each color group helps to keep our body stronger.

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Group learning.

Then we wrapped up our session by taste testing a spinach and pepper quesadilla – it was a hit!

Nikki preparing the spinach and pepper quesadillas.
Nikki preparing the spinach and pepper quesadillas.

Lesson 6: The Wrap-Up

Our closing class finally arrived the last week of school and we couldn’t have asked for a better day. The sun was shining, preparation was complete, our helping hands were in place, and teachers and students alike were ready for our big event. Luckily to start our session off, students fired off answers for our Kids, Crops, Compost and Consumption review questions and we were able to move onto the surprise portion of the afternoon. Our first activity was a planting demonstration using handmade garden boxes and spinach seeds. While everyone was simply happy to be outside playing in the soil.

Students getting a glimpse of the garden boxes.
Students getting a glimpse of the garden boxes.

Next up was a bit of Cha-Cha-ing with NDSU’s very own Thundar.

Thundar getting the kids ready for some dancing.
Thundar getting the kids ready for some dancing.

Then we sampled a couple of amazing spinach dishes.

Delicious!

And finally, we sent home each child with a garden box of their own! Year one of KCCC was a success!

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Food Systems i-Three Corps Innovation

i-Three Issue Corps – Kids, Compost, Crops & Consumption

The Kids, Compost, Crops & Consumption team from North Dakota State University Extension aims to increase youth involvement in the food cycle. The target outcomes include: 1) increasing students’ knowledge about agriculture and where their food comes from, 2) increasing vegetable consumption among students and 3) teaching students how to garden as an economical option for fresh food. The project timeline was December 2015-May 2016. Each month from December thru May a new lesson was presented to 85 3rd and 4th grade urban students. In this post, we will share a little about the first 3 lessons. In a later entry, we will discuss the last 2 lessons as well as the final review lesson.

Lesson 1: Livestock – Kelcey Hoffmann, Extension Agent/Cass County

In lesson one, students were introduced to everything that livestock has to offer! This lesson focused on what livestock consume, where they are raised, and what they provide to the food cycle as well as our everyday life. The students witnessed the different feedstuffs that cattle, sheep, and pigs consume along with all the by-products they provide us with! Students were amazed on what one animal provides. They were excited to see that yogurt, butter, and cheese also come from a dairy cow. By the end of the lesson, students realized that farmers and ranchers spend their days making sure to raise a safe food source, and that the grocery store is just the meeting place between the consumers and the producers!

Students touching the different feedstuffs.
Students touching the different feedstuffs.

Lesson 2: Compost – Mary Berg, Area Extension Specialist/Livestock Environmental Management

Lesson two was all about turning manure into compost. Most of the students involved had never been around livestock, much less manure! Mary had manure in a baggie and had each student had the opportunity to squeeze and smell (through the bag) cattle manure. The students also had to shake a mystery bucket (no peeking!) before talking about the process, from manure to compost. At the end the students were able to peek in the mystery bucket to see manure and straw inside. They were able to relate back that they were mixing, an important step in the production of compost.

Students trying to determine why they were shaking the mystery bucket (turning compost).
Students trying to determine why they were shaking the mystery bucket (turning compost).

A compost tote was started and each student was able to contribute either a carbon or nitrogen source.

Contents of the compost tote the students put together. The wire is part of a temperature monitoring device.
Contents of the compost tote the students put together. The wire is part of a temperature monitoring device.

Lesson 3: Soil – Alicia Harstad, Extension Agent/Stutsman County

Lesson three focused on the soil particles, sand, silt, and clay and how they influence soil structure. Students learned that the amount of sand, silt and clay in a soil will influence the water infiltration rate and nutrient holding capacity of that soil. The amount of nutrients and water in a soil will influence how well plants grow. Adding compost to soil can help increase the nutrient and water holding capacity while also allowing water to infiltrate through the soil to avoid waterlogged roots.

Students observing and touching soil.
Students observing and touching soil.

Stay tuned for our next blog entry and the conclusion of our KCCC program!