Plaza students win ag story prizes
Two young writers at Plaza School won prizes from among the 10,000 submissions in the statewide Adventures in Agriculture story contest.
Short stories by Oliver Moore, 9, and Audrey Melo, 10, were among only 38 recognized throughout the state by the California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom.
Audrey and Oliver said they were very excited when they found out they had won. And both agreed working on the project was "fun."
Jennifer Limberg, who teaches their combined third- and fourth-grade class, said of her 29 students, she was allowed to send only five stories.
"I thought there were lots of really good papers," Limberg said. "It was hard to decide which ones to send."
Audrey, a fourth grader, wrote her story about a dairy cow. She chose the topic as her commodity because her family lives on her grandmother's dairy farm, she said.
She said Adventures in Agriculture is "fun to do" because she gets to "learn about different things." Her favorite part of writing a winning piece was "typing it and doing the story," Audrey said.
She learned about the nutrients that make milk healthy, he said.
Living on a dairy farm,
Audrey already knows a fair bit about dairy cows. She even helps out sometimes by spraying the cows udders "to get rid of the germs," she said.
Oliver, a third-grader, also chose a commodity he knows something about. His father lives on an almond farm.
He likes watching the workers shake the trees so the almonds fall on the ground. "It's dusty," he said.
He liked writing the story best, but "I feel excited" about winning the award, he said.
Oliver has learned that 80 percent of the world's almonds are grown in California and they are high in calcium, fiber and vitamin E, he said.
Oliver and Audrey received plaques and two books. Both got copies of "Imagine This: Stories Inspired by Agriculture 2008," a compilation of the state winner's pieces.
Also, Oliver got a copy of "First Day of Grapes" by L. King Perez and Audrey received "When the Bees Fly Home" by Andrea Cheng.
The teacher's prize included two CD-ROMs, a book about food safety, a tote bag, a notepad and a wall calendar with student art.
Limberg said the class discovered who won by accident.
"It was a spontaneous moment on the computer," Limberg said. The class was looking for other information on the CFAC Web site, when a student noticed the winners' list.
Adventures in Agriculture
Adventures in Agriculture is a year-long program that gives each student an opportunity to gain in-depth knowledge of commodity. It will culminate in May when students present their final report to the rest of the class.
Limberg said students decide on a topic at the end of second or third grade. That way, during the summer they learn about it and take pictures for their final report.
The project requires a title page and table of contents; illustrations, such as photographs or drawings; a colored and labeled map of where the commodity is found in California; the stories; an interview; history; description of how the commodity is grown and used; some "interesting things" about it; a recipe; and a list of sources.
All material has to be typed and Limberg emphasizes the importance of revising and editing the written material.
Plaza Superintendent Tim Ryan said, "The Commission on Agriculture has done a great job to encourage improving literacy. Agriculture is a business and farmers have to be literate. They have to be able to communicate effectively."
Adventures in Agriculture is a great program for students at this small, rural school, Ryan added, because most of them live on or around farms.
"Agriculture is still the No. 1 industry in California," he said. "It's woven in the fabric of this school. It's a part of who we are."
Students also will do an art project and their work will be displayed at this year's Glenn County Fair.
For information about Adventures in Agriculture or other resources for grades K-12, visit www.cfaitc.org.
Contact Lydia Harris at 934-6800 or lharris@tcnpress.com.
Jennifer Limberg's third- and fourth-graders at Plaza School are working on a year-long project, Adventures in Agriculture. Among the assignments, students wrote a story about their individual topics. Out of 10,000 entries, Oliver Moore, 9, and Audrey Melo, 10, were among 38 California students to win prizes. Here are their winning submissions.
"Avalanches of Almonds"
by Oliver Moore
Jim was tired of living in the big city. He did some searching for a crop he could grow in the country. He decided that almonds were the perfect crop. People buy almonds because they have a lot of vitamin E, magnesium, and they can lower your cholesterol. Almonds have as much protein as meat and as much fiber as fruit. Jim was sure that almonds were a good crop. He moved to Orland, California, bought an almond farm, and learned to call them "amonds."
On his way to Orland, Jim stopped to make a wish in the town's wishing well. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a crusty old quarter with nicks in the side of it. He tossed it over his left shoulder and made a wish. "I hope my new farm grows avalanches of almonds."
When Jim got to the farm, the hard work began. It was February, and the delicate light pink blossoms were covering the trees. The sight made Jim glad he chose to leave the city. He made sure the bee boxes were close by so the bees could pollinate the trees and make almonds. The petals fell off the blossoms, and baby almonds began to grow.
During the next few months, Jim watered his trees. He put on fertilizers like nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus, boron, manganese and calcium. He even put some compost on the orchard. Then he sprayed for mites.
After waiting for two months Jim noticed that the amount of nuts almost covered the whole branch, with tons of clusters. His neighbor said he had never seen that many nuts on almond trees. It was hard for Jim to drive is tractor down the rows!
Five months later, the branches began to sag from the weight of the nuts. Jim had to make supports out of old tree limbs to hold up the branches. He went to water his crop and saw that the nuts had doubled in size in two days.
"Today is the first day of harvest," Jim said as he woke up. When he looked out his window, he saw that there were so many almonds they began to fall off the trees. You couldn't even see the orchard floor! Plus, the branches were still loaded. Jim's neighbor, Jerry, stopped by and told Jim he was jealous and wanted to know what Jim did to grow that many nuts.
Jerry said, "Jim, you should call the university and ask them to do a study because this is not normal!"
Jim said, "I think I'll just take the good fortune!" He was paid well for his huge crop. It was enough to buy half his farm in one year! All because of one crusty old quarter.
"Bessy and Miley"
by Audrey Melo
One sunny day a baby calf was born to Bessy, a proud dairy cow. Bessy named her baby Miley. Bessy said, "Miley you're going to be a great dairy cow someday."
"Momma, what is a dairy cow?" Miley said.
"A dairy cow produces milk for the farmer," Bessy said.
Miley asked, "What is a farmer?"
"Bessy said, "A farmer is the person who feeds us, makes sure we are healthy, and the one who milks us."
"Why does the farmer milk us?" Miley asked.
Bessy said, "So he can give you and the other babies milk. He then sells the rest to other people."
Miley asked, "What do the people do with the milk?"
"They drink the milk and make things like ice cream, pudding, cheese, yogurt, and butter," Bessy said to Miley.
"Why does the farmer sell the milk?" Miley asked.
"So the farmer can make money to feed and care for us, and he knows that milk is healthy for people," Bessy said.
Miley asked, "Why is milk healthy for people?"
Bessy said, "Milk is healthy for people because it contains essential nutrients like calcium, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium and protein. All of those nutrients are important for developing strong bones and teeth, keeping a healthy weight, and reducing the risk of high blood pressure, osteoporosis, and certain cancers. Milk also helps build and repair muscle tissue and helps people maintain healthy skin."
"Wow, so our milk is like a nutrient powerhouse!" Miley said.
"That's right," Bessy said.
"Miley said, "I can't wait to produce milk! Why can't I produce milk now?"
"Because you aren't old enough yet. You need to be older and have a baby of your own first," Bessy said to Miley.
"Miley said, "I wish I was older now!"
Then Miley ran off to play with her friends and told them how she was going to grow up to be a great dairy cow someday.
