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The Strathmore Agriculture Department is home to the Emerging Agricultural Technologies Pathway and the Strathmore FFA. The Strathmore High School Agriculture Department’s primary goal is to lead, assist, encourage, and motivate students towards premier leadership, academic achievement, personal growth, and career success.
We are committed to make a positive difference in the lives of young people through the variety of resources and opportunities agriculture education and the FFA have to offer. We believe agriculture education has tremendous value and opportunity for all students and invite them to take advantage of the numerous opportunities and experiences that the Strathmore High School agriculture program has to offer. |
Fun Fact
Popcornopolis Fundraiser
We are now selling Popcorn from Popcornopolis as a fundraiser for the program! If you are interested in purchasing any, see any Ag student or advisor by Monday, November 9th!
Sophomore Pathway Project
The sophomore class in the Emerging Agriculture Technology Pathway at Strathmore High School is conducting an experiment with pumpkins to find if plastic mulch is a better use than using no plastic mulch at all. The colors of plastic mulch the sophomore class is using is red, black, clear, and none at all. At Strathmore’s school farm we have eight rows of pumpkins in total. Four out of eight of the rows are Connecticut field pumpkins. One row of the Connecticut fields have red mulch laid down, one row with black mulch, one row with clear mulch, and one row with no plastic mulch. The other four rows are howden pumpkins. One row of the howden pumpkins have one row with red mulch, one row with black mulch, one row with clear mulch, and one row with none at all.
In the sophomore’s Integrated II math class they are going to the school farm and collecting data. The data they are collecting includes: circumference of the largest pumpkin, soil temperature, and soil pH. In the freshman’s Integrated I math class they are going to the school farm and collecting data as well. The data they are collecting includes: height of the pumpkin, how many pumpkins there are, and the longest runner. After the freshmen collect all the data from the pathway project they will turn over the data to the sophomore class and then they will analyze the collected data and use it for the project. In the sophomore’s English class they are researching what colored plastic mulches are useful when growing pumpkins. After researching the better mulches they are writing a research report that includes information of: disadvantages, advantages, black mulch, red mulch, clear mulch, and no mulch. The reason for researching this information is for the students to learn how to use the scientific method. The students first started off with a question then created a hypothesis, and now they are researching the better types of mulch. The research will help them find an understanding for the different types of mulches jobs and which mulches are better for the pumpkins. There has been a lot to be learned for this pathway project. In the students’ agriculture classes they are learning about the scientific method and how irrigation both play a role in the pathway project. In their math classes they are learning how to collect and analyze data and how to put the data into tables, charts, and graphs. In their English classes the students are learning how to research and how to write a research paper. The Emerging Agriculture Technology Pathway at Strathmore High School is partnering up with Exeter Landmark Irrigation. Exeter Irrigation did Strathmore High School a huge favor by donating and installing a high-tech irrigation system. Exeter Irrigation installed a tower at Strathmore’s school farm that puts out a signal so on any computer with internet the staff or students are able to see what is happening in the ground on the computer screen. It will tell the soil moisture so the students can determine whether or not the pumpkin plants need water. Exeter Irrigation also installed a soil moisture probe with sensors in it at 8 inches, 16 inches, 24 inches, 40 inches, and 48 inches which determines the soil moisture at those depths so the students can find how much water the plants need; this prevents over watering. Exeter Irrigation came to Strathmore’s school farm on Wednesday, September 30th of 2015 and installed the equipment. The freshman and sophomore classes were able to go out the school farm and watch the equipment be installed. Edward Blocher, the South Valley District Manager, at Exeter Irrigation was there at the school farm explaining to the students the equipment they were installing and what the equipment does. Mr. Blocher was very kind and answered any questions the students may have had. After all the information and data is collected the students in the Emerging Agriculture Technology Pathway will take everything they.ve done and collected to answer the question, “If you were a pumpkin farmer which method of plastic mulch-if any-would you use and why?” -Shaylie Logan Fun Fact Friday |
California is THE WORLD’S #1 Producer of Almonds producing 90% of almonds to the entire world & 98.5% of all almonds in the United States.
Support the SHS Floral Class
We Love Pets Charity
We are starting our second annual We Love Pets Charity. We will be collecting donations for the local Central Valley Rescue Railroad - our local no kill shelter. We will be flyering Westwood Estates this coming Saturday, September 12th to spread the word, and collecting items on September 19th. Anyone who wants to participate can join by meeting at the CVS on the corner of Westwood and Henderson at 9am both Saturdays.
Opening and Closing Ceremonies Teams
We are putting together teams for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies Contests. The first contest will be September 29th at El Diamante, and the Sectional Finals will be November 4th at the COS Campus in Tulare. If you are interested in being on a team, sign up with Ms. Larson. Practices for all teams will be held Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at lunch in Ms. Larson's room.
Fun Fact Friday
New School Farm
On Wednesday August 19th, the E.A.T. Advisory Board met to discuss the development of the new school farm. Porterville Unified has recently purchased 13 acres next to the school and an additional 6 acres next to Harmony Magnet Academy for the development of a brand new school farm. The senior pathway class came up with a precursory list and sketches of what should be included in the new school farm, and these ideas were brought to the board to be discussed. In the initial discussions the plans include animal facilities for every species, a riding arena, high-tech greenhouses, hydroponics, a landscaped picnic/lawn area, new agriculture classrooms, labs, and shops, row crops, permanent crops, and much more. The goal of the board is to make this new school farm a high-tech, innovative outdoor learning laboratory where students can gain real-world, hands-on knowledge of agriculture. The next step for this project will be to take these ideas to an architect to draw official plans. Discussion of the new school farm will continue at the next advisory board meeting on September 9th at 3:30 in the SHS Library.