Farm-to-school programs have become very popular around the state, including a $300,000 pilot program currently underway in St. Lawrence and Jefferson counties.
But Madrid-Waddington school officials - utilizing a terraponics system developed by a Massena company - have moved the process one step closer to their school cafeteria.
Assemblywoman Addie Jenne Russell recently had an opportunity to tour the school's greenhouse and discussed the steps the district has taken with School Superintendent Eric Burke, greenhouse coordinator Buffy Gabri and students in a plant science class offered for the first time this year. She also had an opportunity to talk to Andy Maslin, the developer of the terraponic's technology being used at Madrid-Waddington.
"You hear a lot about farm-to-school, We are farm-in-school. The sprouts and salads our kids are eating are grown right here, just 200 feet from our cafeteria," Mr. Burke told Assemblywoman Russell.
The Madrid-Waddington school superintendent said the district purchased its first three-tier growing system in September 2015.
"It is awesome. We immediately saw the benefits. Our kids are eating fresh greens and drinking green drinks. Kids started getting involved. We initially thought it might take three to five years to get to full capacity. But we are seeing strong interest from students and the food service manager. It did not take long to grow," Mr. Burke noted.
He said the district grew from one rack to three, then five and now eight units.
"I think this is going to continue to grow. The greenhouse had not been utilized. Our cafeteria manager wants to make sure locally grown greens are getting on our kids' plates," according to the school superintendent.
Assemblywoman Russell discussed the greenhouse effort with students, staff and the founder of the technology and even had an opportunity to sample a green drink and pesto made from some of the produce harvested in the school's greenhouse.
She walked away from the school with her interest piqued by the greenhouse operation.
"Being able to farm year-round is a fantastic thing. This bodes well for the future. This is amazing to see and very cool," she admitted.
"The exposure these kids have to the latest technology and non-traditional agriculture will set them up for success," according to Assemblywoman Russell.
"I was surprised at how quickly these racks could grow the product. It's a fine-tuned system that requires minimal work because of the research that has been completed," she said.
Mr. Burke said the initial goal when the first rack was purchased was to develop a learning opportunity as well as provide a direct source of greens for the cafeteria.
The rack was purchased from 2445 Organics, and the developer of the terraponic's technology, Andy Maslin, has worked with the district's resident green thumb, Ms. Gabri, to grow the program.
Mr. Maslin said 2445 Organics has developed a 100 percent organic grow system that is based on utilizing a primitive soil and a lighting system and eliminating environmental factors.
He said the produce being grown on the racks - ranging from a variety of lettuces to basil - is ready to harvest in 18 to 22 days, approximately 50 percent quicker than the time it would take to grow that same produce in a garden.
"And our products are certified organic. Organic usually takes 30 to 50 percent longer than traditional produce, and we are able to have our organic produce ready for harvest in 40 to 60 percent quicker than the time it takes to grow that produce outside," according to Mr. Maslin.
2445 Organics currently has the grow racks in three schools in the region - Madrid-Waddington, Canton and the Akwesasne Mohawk School. He said school personnel working with him are initially skeptical of his claims.
Ms. Gabri, an avid gardener, is a convert. The coordinator of the Madrid-Waddington greenhouse said she spends a few hours each weekend working on the racks, and she confessed it is a labor of love.
"I think it is amazing to come down here to see the change from germination to growth to harvesting. They turn over so quickly," she said.
Ms. Gabri, who also makes green drinks from the products grown in the greenhouse, said the program also teaches life lessons to students.
"It's hands on. They gain more appreciation for what they are eating. They get a better understanding of the process from planting to watching the plant grow to harvesting. They are able to see the produce go from the rack to the cafeteria," she pointed out.
"At first, they were hesitant. Now their enthusiasm has skyrocketed. They want to be part of it. They also have grown more appreciation for the greens and sprouts and the nutritional value of the plants," Ms. Gabri added.
The Madrid-Waddington school superintendent noted an instructional component has also been added to the greenhouse project this year.
Science teacher Michael Frohm has developed a plant science course, and high school students will have hands-on experience with the grow racks.
The curriculum focuses on multiple facets affiliated with the grow racks, with topics including the plant life cycle, primitive soil composition, gut microbiomes and air quality.
"The kids love it. It is a lot different than a normal class. It's really different for me too. The kids are helping design the curriculum, and test questions come from the class," Mr. Frohm said.
Mr. Burke said there is plenty of room for innovation in the plant science class. "It's a design on the fly curriculum. A lot of this is student led. It is going to be where their research and interest takes them," he suggested.
The Madrid-Waddington school superintendent said he expects the program to continue to expand, with more produce grown at the school and new classroom opportunities.
He said the produce grown in the greenhouse has become very popular in the cafeteria.
"Several flats in the greenhouse are dedicated to growing basil that is used in a variety of items, including our very popular homemade pizzas and paninis.
"The proprietary soil blend provided by 2445 Organics allows for an incredibly fast growing cycle so fresh ingredients are being provided to the cafeteria on a nearly daily basis," he pointed out.
But Madrid-Waddington school officials - utilizing a terraponics system developed by a Massena company - have moved the process one step closer to their school cafeteria.
Assemblywoman Addie Jenne Russell recently had an opportunity to tour the school's greenhouse and discussed the steps the district has taken with School Superintendent Eric Burke, greenhouse coordinator Buffy Gabri and students in a plant science class offered for the first time this year. She also had an opportunity to talk to Andy Maslin, the developer of the terraponic's technology being used at Madrid-Waddington.
"You hear a lot about farm-to-school, We are farm-in-school. The sprouts and salads our kids are eating are grown right here, just 200 feet from our cafeteria," Mr. Burke told Assemblywoman Russell.
The Madrid-Waddington school superintendent said the district purchased its first three-tier growing system in September 2015.
"It is awesome. We immediately saw the benefits. Our kids are eating fresh greens and drinking green drinks. Kids started getting involved. We initially thought it might take three to five years to get to full capacity. But we are seeing strong interest from students and the food service manager. It did not take long to grow," Mr. Burke noted.
He said the district grew from one rack to three, then five and now eight units.
"I think this is going to continue to grow. The greenhouse had not been utilized. Our cafeteria manager wants to make sure locally grown greens are getting on our kids' plates," according to the school superintendent.
Assemblywoman Russell discussed the greenhouse effort with students, staff and the founder of the technology and even had an opportunity to sample a green drink and pesto made from some of the produce harvested in the school's greenhouse.
She walked away from the school with her interest piqued by the greenhouse operation.
"Being able to farm year-round is a fantastic thing. This bodes well for the future. This is amazing to see and very cool," she admitted.
"The exposure these kids have to the latest technology and non-traditional agriculture will set them up for success," according to Assemblywoman Russell.
"I was surprised at how quickly these racks could grow the product. It's a fine-tuned system that requires minimal work because of the research that has been completed," she said.
Mr. Burke said the initial goal when the first rack was purchased was to develop a learning opportunity as well as provide a direct source of greens for the cafeteria.
The rack was purchased from 2445 Organics, and the developer of the terraponic's technology, Andy Maslin, has worked with the district's resident green thumb, Ms. Gabri, to grow the program.
Mr. Maslin said 2445 Organics has developed a 100 percent organic grow system that is based on utilizing a primitive soil and a lighting system and eliminating environmental factors.
He said the produce being grown on the racks - ranging from a variety of lettuces to basil - is ready to harvest in 18 to 22 days, approximately 50 percent quicker than the time it would take to grow that same produce in a garden.
"And our products are certified organic. Organic usually takes 30 to 50 percent longer than traditional produce, and we are able to have our organic produce ready for harvest in 40 to 60 percent quicker than the time it takes to grow that produce outside," according to Mr. Maslin.
2445 Organics currently has the grow racks in three schools in the region - Madrid-Waddington, Canton and the Akwesasne Mohawk School. He said school personnel working with him are initially skeptical of his claims.
Ms. Gabri, an avid gardener, is a convert. The coordinator of the Madrid-Waddington greenhouse said she spends a few hours each weekend working on the racks, and she confessed it is a labor of love.
"I think it is amazing to come down here to see the change from germination to growth to harvesting. They turn over so quickly," she said.
Ms. Gabri, who also makes green drinks from the products grown in the greenhouse, said the program also teaches life lessons to students.
"It's hands on. They gain more appreciation for what they are eating. They get a better understanding of the process from planting to watching the plant grow to harvesting. They are able to see the produce go from the rack to the cafeteria," she pointed out.
"At first, they were hesitant. Now their enthusiasm has skyrocketed. They want to be part of it. They also have grown more appreciation for the greens and sprouts and the nutritional value of the plants," Ms. Gabri added.
The Madrid-Waddington school superintendent noted an instructional component has also been added to the greenhouse project this year.
Science teacher Michael Frohm has developed a plant science course, and high school students will have hands-on experience with the grow racks.
The curriculum focuses on multiple facets affiliated with the grow racks, with topics including the plant life cycle, primitive soil composition, gut microbiomes and air quality.
"The kids love it. It is a lot different than a normal class. It's really different for me too. The kids are helping design the curriculum, and test questions come from the class," Mr. Frohm said.
Mr. Burke said there is plenty of room for innovation in the plant science class. "It's a design on the fly curriculum. A lot of this is student led. It is going to be where their research and interest takes them," he suggested.
The Madrid-Waddington school superintendent said he expects the program to continue to expand, with more produce grown at the school and new classroom opportunities.
He said the produce grown in the greenhouse has become very popular in the cafeteria.
"Several flats in the greenhouse are dedicated to growing basil that is used in a variety of items, including our very popular homemade pizzas and paninis.
"The proprietary soil blend provided by 2445 Organics allows for an incredibly fast growing cycle so fresh ingredients are being provided to the cafeteria on a nearly daily basis," he pointed out.
"The success of this initiative has the district looking at continued expansion. Additional learning opportunities exist, including the business side of the greenhouse," Mr. Burke said.
"Ms. Gabri and Mr. Maslin are currently discussing the possibility of additional grow racks to grow other vegetables, such as cherry tomatoes and green beans. The school board support and the enthusiasm of those involved in the project has created an exceptional opportunity for the students at Madrid-Waddington," he added.
IN THE PHOTOS:
TOP PHOTO:
Assemblywoman Addie Jenne Russell (r) talks with students in a science class at Madrid-Waddington Central High School about the lessons they are learning from a terraponic's growing process being used in the school's greenhouse. School Superintendent Eric Burke, second from right, also took part in the discussion. Teacher Mike Frohm (back row, center) and students Shane Tiernan, Grant VanBuren, Sam Kingston, Charlie Price and Emily Sophia discuss the greenhouse project with Assemblywoman Russell. Student journalist Kathrine Dinneen (back row, far right) covered the event.
BOTTOM PHOTOS:
Madrid-Waddington Central greenhouse coordinator Buffy Gabri (l) and School Superintendent Eric Burke show Assemblywoman Addie Jenne Russell salads made in the cafeteria from products grown in the school's greenhouse.
Madrid-Waddington Central School Superintendent Eric Burke and Assemblywoman Addie Jenne Russell discuss the success of a terraponics project underway in the school's greenhouse. The school is utilizing the super grow system developed by 2445 Organics in Massena to grow produce for the school's cafeterias. Pictured in the background are Buffy Gabri, the school's greenhouse coordinator, and 2445 co-owners Zachary (partially hidden), Andy Jr. and Quinton Maslin. Aubriyle Maslin, not shown, is also part of the ownership team.
Assemblywoman Addie Jenne Russell and students in a science class at Madrid-Waddington Central School focused on plants and the school's terraponics project sample pesto made from produce grown in the school's greenhouse. Pictured are (l-r): Sam Kingston, Shane Tiernan, Cody Fobare, Grant VanBuren, Charlie Price, Assemblywoman Russell,Nathan Moulton and Jake Robinson.
Andy Maslin, the developer of a terraponics system being used to grow produce for Madrid-Waddington Central School's cafeteria, explains the technology behind the process to Assemblywoman Addie Jenne Russell.
