A New Face At The Farm

Rural Resources welcomed a new face to the farm in June. Ashley Buchanan accepted the Farm Day Camp teacher position for the 2017 summer season. Buchanan’s background in art and agriculture makes her a perfect fit for Farm Day Camp.

“This ended up being a perfect opportunity for me,” said Buchanan, who graduated from Walter’s State this year. “I couldn't ask for something better to just come up out of the blue.”

Buchanan’s plans for the program include “a lot of hands-on experience.” She said they’ll learn about gardening, from starting a seed to harvesting, as well as livestock.

“I definitely want them to have an opportunity to interact with the potbellied pig and the rabbits and the dairy cow,” she said.

She added, “I guess another aspect of it is bringing in my love for the arts. and being able to do some gardening projects that are creative I'm really excited about being able to weave that together and then of course, time in the creek.”

Plans are also in the works to have horses available for children to interact with and there will also be opportunities for fun and learning off the farm, including a hike to a popular local waterfall.

“The older kids we're looking to them to Margarette falls, weather permitting, and if everything goes as planned, on Friday we will get to take them on the hike and take them into a different atmosphere on the trail than on the farm,” she said. “I'm going to do a scavenger hunt along the way to identify different plants and critters.”

Buchanan said she likes to use any kind of opportunity as a learning experience for kids.

“Part of it is influenced by my background. of being in Johnson City and not really having those opportunities for agricultural activities, working with animals or having someone who could teach me about plant sciences,” she said. “We spent a lot of time outside, did the hiking and camping, but the educational part, I'd say was lacking. I just kind of stumbled upon it a couple years ago. and fell in love with it.”

She added, “I think you learn lots of different aspects of just working through life, by learning how to care for animals and plants, and their growth cycle. I think can be applied to our own lives and being able to care for ourselves.”

Faelyn Campbell, a former participant in Rural Resources’ Farm and Food Teen Training Program who is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree at Berea College in Kentucky, is Buchanan’s assistant for the 2017 Farm Day Camp season.

“Having her experience there is phenomenal,” said Buchanan. “She’s familiar with the program and the farm. I think she'll be great. I'm very grateful to have her.”

Buchanan’s ultimate my goal is to become a 4-H extension agent working so she can combine her loves for art, being outdoors and agriculture. She’s planning to continue her education at UT in the agricultural leadership communications and education program to earn a master’s degree.

Farm Day Camp is an opportunity for children ages four to 12 to enjoy a full week of hands-on activities on the farm, learning about food's journey from soil to table while building relationships with the land, plants, animals and each other.

The week-long camps run from June 5 to July 28 at  Rural Resources' Holly Creek Farm, 2870 Holly Creek Rd., Greeneville, TN 37745. Visit the ruralresources.net website for more information and to register.

Rural Resources is nonprofit working to connect farms, food and families through community education, youth programs and sustainable agriculture.

Farm Day Camp Registration!

 Register here for Farm Day Camp!

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Looking Back at Growing the Future

I found this short film by Anthony Frazier about the Farm and Food Teen Training program here at Rural Resources. Growing the Future was made in 2014, and features our own Miss Debbie with some of our teens. Enjoy!

Things Are "Hopping" Down at the Farm!

Yes, things are hopping at the farm today!

Four young ladies who graduated from the Farm and Food Teen Training Program in the last few years have returned as interns. They spent the morning hard at work in the rabbit barn that houses mini rex, angora and meat rabbits. They scrubbed enclosures, cleaned the barn and groomed the angoras. Great job, ladies!

While the interns were hard at work, Miss Debbie taught a class about food preservation. The teens will soon be in the kitchen at First Presbyterian Church, one of our important and much appreciated community partners, to get some hands-on experience with making jam. Some of us are hoping a jar will find its way to the office. We will gladly serve as volunteer taste testers!

Farmer Melissa kept busy -- as always -- harvesting produce and flowers and preparing them for market. In addition to CSAs, she hosts a unique outdoor dining and movie experience at her River House Farm. You can find out more about that on Facebook and Instagram @riverhousefarm.

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And littlest, but certainly not least, our little sprouts in Farm Day Camp learned about worms and how seeds sprout.  Robin and Joy kept it fun and provided many experiential learning opportunities along the way. 

Whew! Summer has barely begun and the farm is already a busy place! You won't want to miss out on any of it, so check our website and Facebook page often to keep in touch -- or better yet, come on down and see us!

Summer Kickoff!

Summer has just begun and so have the activities!

 As rays of light start shining through the treetops,

our teens are shining even brighter.

  

Alyssa Mabry and Janice Graf                         Maryem Sherman

        On June 2, "Catastrophic Kitchen Chicken Nuggets" met out at the farm under the new pavilion for a preservation class. Janice Graf, the mother of our own Debbie Strickland, led the class on making strawberry jam! The teens learned how to sterilize the jars, use pectin to thicken, and use basic canning equipment including the hot water bath canner.

Say hello to Taylor Boles and The V-Team!


Taylor Boles is Rural Resources new Garden Manager! Taylor is going to college for Environmental Engineering. She has attended Warren Wilson and Walter's State. She is in charge of teaching the teens all about how to maintain a garden. They've covered pest management, plants diseases, garden maintenance, and worm composting. Every teen has the opportunity to take home some "worm tea" which is a liquid fertilizer.

Interns!

This summer we have six interns working with Rural Resources. We have teens working in the office, with the rabbits, and at the Soup Kitchen with Mary Goldwin. Our interns will be very busy with summer! 

First Little Sprouts

Here we have this week's Farm Day Campers. We are in for some eventful weeks and the spots have been filling up quick! We caught them under the Rotary Pavilion after having a wonderful time in the creek. Summer is kicking off to a great start with this bunch!

Rotary Pavilion at Rural Resources

Rural Resources puts spotlight on 

builders, donors of new Rotary Pavilion

BY HEATHER PATCHETT   

  Greeneville’s two Rotary Clubs, in partnership with Rotary District 7570 and Rural Resources, dedicated a new pavilion at the Rural Resources farm on Holly Creek Road on April 5. The pavilion will provide a gathering place for children in Farm Day Camp, for the teens in the Farm and Food Teen Training Program, and for the community at summer Suppers on the Farm. The Rotary Club of Greeneville and the Greeneville Morning Rotary Club joined forces last spring and applied for a matching grant from Rotary District 7570.  The District stretches from Greeneville in the south to Front Royal, Virginia in the north. Greeneville was one of only four collaborative grants to be approved for funding in the 2015-2016 year.

     Rotary Noon Club President Heather Patchett said, “We are committed to “Service Above Self” and wanted very much to find a meaningful project that would make a difference in our community.  Both our Club and the Morning Rotary Club have been involved with Rural Resources and we knew a pavilion would be a great asset to them.”

Morning Rotary Club President Chris O’Dell added, “We are excited to be able to make a difference in lives of so many young people in Greene County.” Rural Resources has lost two significant structures in the last several years, one to a fire and one to age and instability.  The new pavilion sits on the site of the old barn that had to be taken down, and will provide programming space for the non-profit’s many community programs. 

     A number of local businesses and community members joined the Rotary Clubs in raising money 

to fund the project.  Rural Resources entered the partnership by funding the construction of the 

foundation for the new pavilion.  Donors to the project will be recognized for their support on posts in the pavilion.Local contractor Roy Darnell was selected to build the pavilion, which was designed by Rural Resources Board member Lori Wright. Darnell began work on the site in early January, and 

could be found working through the snow and cold to get the project completed.  A volunteer 

work day was held March 15 and the pavilion hosted its first event on March 19.  

Rural Resources Executive Director Sally Causey and Patchett shared the story of the pavilion’s 

evolution during the gathering.  First Presbyterian Church’s senior minister and former Rural 

Resources Board member , the Rev. Dr. Dan Donaldson, led the prayer of dedication for the new 

pavilion, assisted by Rev. Jamie Lively from Cumberland Presbyterian Church and Rev. James 

Dumond from Reformation Lutheran Church.  

     Contractor Roy Darnell, designer Lori Wright, and Rotarians Dave Effler, Tom Mroczko and 

Danny Gaby were recognized for their work and leadership on the project.  Donors of $500 and 

$1,000 or more were recognized by having their names on the posts that support the new 

pavilion.  

     Rural Resources Executive Director shared with those gathered that the new pavilion “has been a 

tremendous gift to Rural Resources.  This is just what we’ve needed, and the construction 

activity has given us new energy.  We can’t wait for the activities that will take place there!”

For 23 years, Rural Resources has served as a community outreach and education center for 

sustainable agriculture in Greene County. The non-profit organization cultivates relationships 

between agricultural leaders and the next generation of farmers through its programming, which 

includes Field Trips, Farm Day Camp, Farm & Food Teen Training and upcoming Farm & Food 

Outreach initiatives. The new Rotary Pavilion at Rural Resources will allow us to more 

effectively work toward our goal to connect farms, food and families. Rotary International was founded in 1905.  

     The mission of Rotary International is to provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill and peace through its fellowship of business, professional and community leaders. Since 1979, Rotary and its partners have eradicated 99.9% of polio cases in the world. The Rotary Club on Greeneville, which meets at noon on Tuesdays at the General Morgan Inn, celebrated its 95th anniversary last year. The Greeneville Morning Rotary Club meets at 7 a.m. on Wednesdays in the Laughlin Hospital cafeteria meeting room. Those interested in membership are always welcome to attend.

Throw Back Thursday: Little Sprouts!

It's a rainy day here in Greene County, but the smiles on the faces of these Little Sprouts are "like sunshine on a cloudy day!" 

Rural Resources' unique learning opportunity for children in Greene County and surrounding East Tennessee combines food, farming and fun for a one-of-a-kind summer day camp experience. Children from preschool to the sixth grade spend a week on the farm with area teachers and Rural Resources staff, for lots of hands-on learning about food, farming, sustainability and, of course, summer fun! Registration begins in spring, with sessions running from June through July. Check out our website, rural resources.net, or contact us at info@ruralresources.net for more information about Farm Day Camp, our teen programs, farming workshops and other events.

So now, sit back, relax for a minute and enjoy our Throw Back Thursday highlights from Rural Resources Farm Day Camp for

Little Sprouts! Sessions 1 & 3

Photos and PremierClip prodution: Lorelei Goff

Gross! Camp

  Rural Resources' second session of the 2015 Farm Day Camp  wrapped up on Friday with "Gross! Camp." First through 3rd-graders spent the week learning about bugs, dirt, worms, poop, pigs, wallowing in the mud, snakes, and even cow farts! They smelled, tasted, looked at and touched all manner of gross things. They enjoyed lots of traditional Farm Day Camp fun, too, like playing in the creek and milking the cow. Click on the video below to see some of the fun!





Soundslide Production: Lorelei Goff
Photos: Emily Greenier and Lorelei Goff
Music: Heftone Banjo Orchestra via Creative Commons Music

Farm Day Camp: Little Sprouts!

 The 2015 Farm Day Camp sessions have begun! Summer camp season kicked off June 1-5 with a flock of Rural Resources' Little Sprouts campers frolicking in Holly Creek and learning about farming, food and sustainability. The week provided 4- and 5-year-olds with abundant opportunities for exercise in the farm-fresh air and sunshine, crafts, planting seeds and an all around good time! Take a look at some of their summer fun below. There is still time to register for the second Little Sprouts session next week. Click here to go to the link.

Bunnies!

Craft Time

 

  

Feeding Time!

The Garden!

 

 

 The Creek!

Happy Campers!

Photos: Lorelei Goff

Farm Day Camp: Too Much Farm Fun and Little Sprouts

      Farm animals, food, crafts, and a creek – it’s time for Rural Resources’ summer Farm Day Camp!

      In fact, two more sessions of Farm Day Campers scampered through Rural Resources’ Holly Creek farm over the last couple of weeks. Children from Pre-K through third grade took part in two sessions: Too Much Farm Fun Camp and Little Sprouts Camp.

      “I’ve milked a cow,” 7-year-old Corinne Southerland said, with a grin. “It was pretty cool. And I’ve played a lot of games.”

      Corinne’s big sister Grace, a seventh-grader, volunteered to help with the younger children in the Too Much Farm Fun session. Anticipating the start of her own FDC session, she talked about last year’s memorable camp moments.

      “Last year we went to Paint Creek,” Grace said. “And we went canoeing on the Nolichucky. That was my favorite! It was my first time in a canoe.”

      The opportunity to try new things is one of the things that keeps kids coming back, year after year. But Doak Elementary School teacher Margaret Ayers, who was there with her daughter, said there are many good reasons for kids to come to camp.

      “Being around the animals and being able to feed them,” Ayers said. “Just even being around the creek. These are things that kids don’t get to do every day. They see where food comes from and how animals live. Their understanding of food isn’t just from the grocery store.”

      Ayers also said she thinks this kind of an experience makes kids more compassionate to animals and each other, and opens the door to new friendships.

      “They’re all from different schools, so they’ve made new friends who have similar interests,” She said. ”I think it’s a great camp.”

      Sissy Rabern’s son, Wolfgang, participated in the Little Sprouts camp.

      “It’s a lot better than sitting inside, to actually get out and do stuff, like figure out where milk comes from,” Rabern said. “He absolutely loves it.”

      Doak Elementary School teacher Nick Baumann led the sessions and said he believes that tuning into students’ interest levels and keeping things fun is the key to successful summer learning at Farm Day Camp.

      “The highlight for most campers is probably creek time,” said Baumann, as Ben, a Little Sprout, climbed onto the creek bank cradling a freshwater shellfish in his hands.

      “I think they’re having a good time,” he said, taking the tiny creature from Ben’s cupped hands and giving him a sprout-sized biology lesson.

      Perhaps wide-eyed wonder and unending opportunities for discovery are the best reasons of all to come to Farm Day Camp.

Gross! Camp

      The Rural Resources’Farm Day Camp is a hands-on farming and food adventure that connects children of all ages with the natural world.

      Nick Baumann, a teacher at Doak Elementary, opened the Gross! Camp session on June 2^nd by introducing a pair of giant cockroaches to a lively group of 1^st – 3^rd grade students. 

      “When you touch them, remember they’re a bug,” Baumann admonished, placing them on a table with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. “You don’t want to squeeze them, or it might get reeeaaal gross!”

      The children erupted into gasps and squeals of, “Eeewww!” and “Gross!”

     Baumann introduced a variety of smelly, slithery, creepy-crawly critters throughout the day – snakes, insects, pigs and rats to name a few – with an unexpected bonus of a tiny, pink, hairless baby in the rats’ nest.

      Baumann also produced a kitten. The children buried their fingers in its fur and hugged it to their chests, while he assured skeptics, who weren't convinced she qualified as gross, that “she has stinky gas.”

The week also included art, crafts, feeding farm animals, milking the cows, visiting the Rural Resources garden, playing games, climbing trees and exploring the cool, shaded creek during the afternoon heat.

      The days were filled with lots of amazement, laughter and good-natured bantering between Baumann and his campers.

      Although the sessions are pre-planned and structured, Baumann said one of the key principles to creating a positive experience for little campers is flexibility. He said he allows more time for activities they are enjoying or moves on to something else if they are losing interest.

      Campers represented a number of area schools, as well as the home school community.

      Watch for more Farm Day Camp adventure photos!