When asked what kind of food scraps belong in compost on a recent Marin Organic Farm Day at Star Route Farms in Bolinas, a sixth grade boy from the Novato Charter School enthusiastically raised his hand and answered with confidence, “Anything that’s living and doesn’t have a brain!” This clever answer was part of many great discussions and activities that involved this particular Farm Day. Those same sixth graders who have been well educated through their school garden program were excited to experience a day with Marin Organic on a local organic farm.
A few highlights from the day included a walking tour around the farm where the kids learned about the solar power panels that help run the irrigation. On this day the farm was producing more energy than it was using so the extra power went back to the grid! They were also very impressed with the size of the farm. Out of the 100 acres of land, Star Route uses only 40 acres for growing crops. This cultivates symbiotic relationships between the wild and tended life on the farm and the kids were thrilled with what this organic farmer has co-created.
A big thanks to Star Route Farms for giving these kids a very informative day in the warm sun and also allowing each kid to get their hands in the dirt as a farmer, harvest a bunch of Lavender, and plant a tomato start to take home to their own gardens!
Thanks to Kirsten Neff for providing her SmugMug photo gallery of the Farm Day, view them here.
David Long, Marin Organic Intern
Chester Densmore, Organic School Lunch and Gleaning Program Associate
