Farmscape for April 20, 2007  (Episode 2460)

A new program to be launched early next month in Saskatchewan will give elementary school students a first hand opportunity to get, "The Real Dirt on Farming."

The Saskatchewan Pork Development Board will begin its new "Real Dirt on Farming School Tour Program" next month.

Tours for 2007 have been scheduled for May 2, June 6 and September 26 and will involve approximately 225 students from five schools including four in Saskatoon and one rural school.

Sask Pork Agriculture Education Coordinator Jessica Podhordeski says the goal of the program is to give the students an idea of what goes on at the primary production level on a day to day basis and identify potential career opportunities.

Clip-Jessica Podhordeski-Saskatchewan Pork Development Board

Originally we were hoping to target grades seven to twelve students however, in the promotion of the program, we had interest from grades seven and eight students so it seems as though we're reaching that specific curriculum and age group.

What we're trying to do is reach urban schools as well as rural schools but mostly the urban students to give them a taste of what agriculture really is now a days and so they will be touring four different farms of four different agriculture commodities.

The first will be a dairy farm where they will be able to witness some milking and have a tour of the facility.

We'll also be touring a grain operation and the producer also has a cow calf and a small feedlot on the side so there'll be a combination, the Pork Interpretive Gallery which we also manage so they'll be able to see modern hog production as it is today as well as a potato farm where they produce table potatoes.

Podhordeski says all three tour dates for this year were completely booked in a matter of a few days and there are seven classrooms on a waiting list for next year.

For Farmscape.Ca, I'm Bruce Cochrane.

       *Farmscape is a presentation of Sask Pork and Manitoba Pork Council