Please note, The Farm will close at the end of the 2022/23 school year. No new registrations are being accepted.
What does learning look like on the farm?
Rocky View Schools students will take up their full grade 9/10 curriculum on The Farm, including core subjects, without ever having to set foot in a traditional classroom. Students from across Rocky View Schools will be encouraged to apply to the program and 56 students (28 each grade) will be selected. The entire curriculum will be delivered through the lens of agriculture, with the “classroom” being a portable building and The Farm itself. The Farm will create an engaging learning environment steeped in agriculture, while addressing all aspects of the relevant curriculum. This program will be anchored by relationships with our community and partners. Students will create solutions to real world problems in a context that is real and relevant to the Alberta way of life. They will also complete farm chores, learn to manage, market and operate agri-business ventures and engage in research and projects in an environment that will foster the spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship.
A foundation of effective agricultural practices is balance, The Farm will model this approach. Our location allows us to explore a wide spectrum of agricultural practices and approaches. Our students will operate small businesses in the following areas: Small Livestock; Vegetable and Herb Production; Cereal Grains, Pulses, and Oilseeds. Within these three areas, students will learn how to operate, manage, and market their product and their operation, as well as consider how their business fits within a larger picture of environmental impact, economic and social sustainability. Students will also learn about agricultural practices as they apply to backyard, urban environments, and all the way up to large scale farming operations. They will come to understand, through their own hands on experience, the advantages and disadvantages to a wide variety of approaches to food production. Students will also learn from field trips to places like feedlots, local ranches and farms, agricultural education institutions such as Olds College and the University of Alberta, and processing facilities. This program will link community and industry directly to the students, extending the four walls of the traditional classroom. The Farm will be real world, relevant and hands on learning through the lens of agriculture.
A foundation of effective agricultural practices is balance, The Farm will model this approach. Our location allows us to explore a wide spectrum of agricultural practices and approaches. Our students will operate small businesses in the following areas: Small Livestock; Vegetable and Herb Production; Cereal Grains, Pulses, and Oilseeds. Within these three areas, students will learn how to operate, manage, and market their product and their operation, as well as consider how their business fits within a larger picture of environmental impact, economic and social sustainability. Students will also learn about agricultural practices as they apply to backyard, urban environments, and all the way up to large scale farming operations. They will come to understand, through their own hands on experience, the advantages and disadvantages to a wide variety of approaches to food production. Students will also learn from field trips to places like feedlots, local ranches and farms, agricultural education institutions such as Olds College and the University of Alberta, and processing facilities. This program will link community and industry directly to the students, extending the four walls of the traditional classroom. The Farm will be real world, relevant and hands on learning through the lens of agriculture.
Mark Turner and Matt Chomistek are the teachers on The Farm.
Themes on the farm
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Our Food Story
Students were asked what have you learned about your connection to food? What is a family tradition around food? What is your favourite meal and why? What is your favourite meal to cook? How does being in the Farm program help you connect to food? What do you want to know about in regards to food? We all have a story... what is yours? Share with us at Twitter @rvsthefarm