A Traveling Field Trip Made

A Stop At Ewen-Trout Creek School Today

By Jesse Wiederhold

September 30, 2021

EWEN, Mich. (WLUC) - K-5 students at Ewen-Trout Creek School took a step into a mobile farm lab to learn a bit about agriculture.

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“Michigan is the second most diverse state in the nation in terms of the crops and animals that we have,” said Marsha Wainio, Farm Science Lab regional educator.

To better educate kids on the subject, ETC School Superintendent Dan Radovich says the mobile field trip worked perfectly.

“I think it gives a greater appreciation for those students when they sit down to eat a meal,” said Radovich. “What really went into getting that food on the table, it isn’t just magically there. It isn’t just going to the store and purchasing it.”

Corn is a major crop grown in America. Students used corn starch in an activity to make alternative plastics, highlighting the crop’s sustainability potential.

“We do corn plastic because scientists are working very hard to figure out how to make renewable resources, renewable products, things that are easier on the environment,” said Wainio. “What a better way to do that than with products that farmers can grow every year?”

Though, corn is not Michigan’s only cash crop.

“Students are surprised to find out that Michigan is the number one pickle state in the United States,” said Wainio. ”So, we want them to know about all the good things that come from farms in Michigan.”

The mobile farm lab has shared its lessons with at least 30,000 students and more than 400 teachers in Michigan so far.

“It’s a very great field trip,” said Radovich. “It’s right here on campus.”

Wainio adds that some students may someday consider careers in agriculture or science.

The farm lab will be headed to Watersmeet, Kingsford, and then Marquette schools next.