Ag in the Classroom event brings 1,000 children Upcountry for day of learning
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More than 1,000 second-graders closed out the year with an outdoor classroom on the green grassy slope of a volcano, their teacher on horseback and the lessons of the day focused on the soil, water and plants around them.
The Agriculture in the Classroom Field Trip is an annual educational event put on by Maui County Farm Bureau, and this year's field trip took over 1,000 second-graders with their teachers and chaperones up to Haleakalā Ranch for a day of hands-on instruction and fun.
The teacher on horseback was Greg Friel, vice president and livestock operations manager at Haleakalā Ranch, who gave a demonstration of how stock dogs help with herding and how to bring cattle up to the corral.
Friel was joined on horseback by his granddaughter, Skylynn, a 2024 graduate of King Kekaulike High School and a longtime Maui 4-Her and Maui High School Rodeo rider.
Greg Friel, vice president/livestock operations at Haleakalā Ranch with his granddaughter Skylynn Friel, a 2024 graduate of King Kekaulike High School and a longtime Maui 4-Her and Maui High School Rodeo rider on horseback show how stock dogs work on the ranch. Courtesy photo
During the field trip, groups of students rotated between tents, spending about 25 minutes at each activity station and learning from ag educators from MCFB, Hawaiian Electric, Maui Soil & Water Conservation Districts, College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resilience, Bayer and Haleakalā Ranch, as well as conservation partners.
For the children, it was a chance to get their hands in the soil while making seed balls with koa to reclaim native forests, and seed balls with diverse pasture forages to reclaim bare ground and erosion scars from recent wildfires, deer and drought. The students also learned about nutrition, canoe plants, the parts of a plant, watersheds, ranch animals and more.
Fifteen elementary schools from across Maui participated in the day including Carden Academy, Ke Kula Kaiapuni O Maui ma Pāʻia, Pāʻia, Kula, Kahului, Pu'u Kukui, Kamehameha Maui, Kīhei, Makawao, Princess Nāhiʻenaʻena, Doris Todd Christian Academy, Pukalani, Pomaikaʻi, Lihikai and Kamaliʻi.
Fifteen elementary schools across Maui participated this year including Carden Academy, Ke Kula Kaiapuni O Maui ma Pāʻia, Pāʻia, Kula, Kahului, Pu'u Kukui, Kamehameha Maui, Kīhei, Makawao, Princess Nāhiʻenaʻena, Doris Todd Christian Academy, Pukalani, Pomaikaʻi, Lihikai, and Kamaliʻi. Courtesy photo
"We are so pleased and happy to have all the keiki come out for this event," said MCFB Executive Director Warren Watanabe in a statement. "AIC gives us a chance to gather together with others in the agriculture industry and find ways to share the importance of agriculture with the next generation. For many of these kids, the lessons they learn at AIC are ones they take home and share with the 'ohana. We are grateful to our ag partners for supporting this event."
Second graders learn about the parts of a plant, things a plant needs to grow, and more," during a hands-on activity station led by Bayer. Courtesy photo
The Maui County Department of Agriculture and Maui County Council provided grant funding for the farm bureau. Additionally, Old Lahaina Lūʻau, Maui Gold Pineapple Co. and Kula Country Farms provided the students with banana bread, chilled pineapple and fresh strawberries; and Ethan Romanchak, co-owner of Native Nursery and MCFB board member, helped with event set-up.
"The AIC field trip is a big deal in a lot of ways," said Jordan Jokiel, vice president/land management at Haleakalā Ranch. "Many of our keiki don't know where food comes from and/or what it takes to quietly manage land to provide food, water and everything else that we need to survive and live healthy, meaningful lives. AIC provides an opportunity to talk with the kids, and also to talk with our partners in the agriculture industry outside of meetings, phone calls and the busy-ness of work life."
The farm bureau has hosting the Ag in the Classroom event since 2006, and Haleakalā Ranch has served as host of the event since 2015.
"Our Hawaiian Electric 'ohana appreciates the Maui County Farm Bureau for hosting the annual Ag in the Classroom," said Hawaiian Electric's Shayna Decker, director of government and community affairs for Maui County. "We enjoy meeting with all of the students, their teachers, chaperones and connecting with our community partners to highlight the vital role agriculture holds in helping to make our islands more resilient and sustainable." Courtesy photo
"Who wouldn’t want to spend two days with a thousand kids," said Eric Demaria, Master Gardener program with the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resilience (CTAHR). "The organized chaos is so much fun to watch. I have to commend the teachers and their control, and the field trip is a well-oiled machine." Courtesy photo