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Leading up to the summer, Bayer hosted 60 community members, including 45 students from St. Mary’s school, along with teachers and volunteers, at the Bayer Cranbrook Site for its Pizza Farm event.
Students helped plant seedlings and learned about soils, micro-organisms, plant nutrition, the growth cycle - and what it all means.
To help expand agricultural knowledge, students explored the world of agriculture by visiting eight stations throughout the three-hour event. This provided hands-on experience for the students, as they participated in the planting process, fed animals on the property, engaged with equipment, visited the pollinator garden to transplant flowers, among much more.
“Not only is it incredible to see students getting involved with the different steps required in agriculture, the hard-work they put into growing vegetables in the garden supports the Cranbrook Food Bank,” said Emily-Ann Perry, Pizza Farm Coordinator. “My favorite part about Pizza Farm, aside from supporting our communities, is when the students ask when they are coming back to harvest in the fall.”
Students who participated in the June Pizza Farm event will be welcomed back in the fall, where they will have the opportunity to harvest the vegetables and grains that were planted, learn about the harvesting process, proper handling and storage, and the nutritional value for human consumption.
Bayer has been planning the program for Pizza Farm for the past three-years with the goal of spreading agriculture awareness.
“We loved Pizza Farm. Our students thoroughly enjoyed the morning, and found it all so interesting,” says Susan Merz, teacher at St Mary’s school. “It’s fantastic to have this opportunity so close to the school.”
