News : Advanced Animal Science Class Takes Field Trip to Kirkwood

Josh Wiley: Co-Reporter

On Tuesday, May 4th, students in the Vinton-Shellsburg Advanced Animal Science class took a half-day field trip to Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids. Throughout the day, students visited the pig and cattle learning farms, as well as Washington Hall on campus. 

The real life sow farm was a hands-on learning center for the students of Kirkwood, and they are continuously in the farm doing chores and completing tasks. Vinton-Shellsburg students had the opportunity to see what a real sow farm looks like, including the feed systems, building layouts, and ventilation systems within the farm.

  Over in the feedlot, students learned about the cattle side of things with the beef learning farm on Kirkwood's campus. The center teaches Kirkwood students how to successfully run a beef operation. They complete classes surrounding production, feeding, breeding, selection, care-taking, among many other intricate classes. 

In Washington Hall, Vinton-Shellsburg students learned more about the agronomy and crop side of things. One of the professors at Kirkwood gave the students a tour of the building and all the amenities it has to offer. This included a sprayer simulator, combine harvester simulator, diesel mechanics garage, and soils room, in addition to many other classrooms within the hall. 

Overall, students had a great time and learned a lot. Landyn Rowe was asked what he thought about the whole day. Landyn said, "It was a really good time to get out and see some of those hands on learning farms that we don't get to see everyday. I had no idea how much Kirkwood had to offer, especially for being just down the road. I felt the day went very smoothly and was thankful for the opportunity we had." 

The Advanced Animal Science class would like to thank Mrs. Emma Henry for setting the day up for the students and helping transport students to and from Kirkwood. They would also like to thank their ag instructor, Ms. Power, for taking the time out of a couple classes to join them on the field trip. 

Advanced Animal Science students learn about the sprayer simulator in Washington Hall.

Advanced Animal Science students observe the Beef Learning Farm at Kirkwood.