Technology takes students to local cattle ranch during pandemic
Rob Zolman
Mission Valley cattle rancher Max Nash answers ranching questions from JB Capdeville and Tami Morrison.
Rob Zolman
Polson students will learn, via virtual field trip, how meat is processed at the Montana Marbled Meats butcher shop, and how cattle are raised. The virtual field trip being developed by a multimedia class at Polson Middle School is funded by the Montana Farm to School Program.
Rob Zolman
Polson students will learn, via virtual field trip, how meat is processed at the Montana Marbled Meats butcher shop, and how cattle are raised. The virtual field trip being developed by a multimedia class at Polson Middle School is funded by the Montana Farm to School Program.
Rob Zolman
Rob Zolman
Rob Zolman
Rob Zolman
Rob Zolman
Rob Zolman
Rob Zolman
Rob Zolman
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POLSON — A highlight for many students on any given school day was the traditional class field trip prior to the coronavirus pandemic. In an effort to make sure students don’t miss out on field trips, the Polson School District has designed a trip that doesn’t require permission slips.
Students will get a glimpse of local agriculture thanks to a multimedia virtual field trip, courtesy of the Montana Farm to School Program and the Polson Middle School’s multimedia class.
To develop the fieldtrip, JB Capdeville, Montana Farm to School coordinator for the Polson School District and Tami Morrison, Polson Middle School Media and STEAM Lab instructor, spent the better part of a morning last Friday filming and interviewing local cattle ranchers and butchers.
More than 30 middle school students will help create and present the virtual ranch and butcher shop experience as part of their media class. “We do a lot of crazy stuff,” Morrison said of her class that produces a school wide podcast, newspaper and news-style daily video broadcast.
She commented about the student work: “They are really creative and are really willing to put themselves out there.”
The virtual field trip will start with a tour of a Mission Valley beef ranch, owned and operated by the Nash family. During the ranch tour, students will learn all the different chores and tasks required by a rancher to get fresh beef to their dinner table. Students will also learn about different cattle breeds, along with the care and nutritional requirements of cattle.
Cattle Rancher Max Nash hopes the kids learn something new and gain a greater respect for the demands and rewards of an agricultural lifestyle. “They may even find that it maybe something they like doing down the road,” said Nash. “They even may want to work on a ranch or become a veterinarian.”
The virtual field trip will conclude with a tour of the Montana Marbled Meats butcher shop, also operated by the Nash family and located in Polson. Students will view demonstrations about the equipment and the procedures and techniques butchers use to deliver fresh beef to their community.
“They are able to see the process from start to finish,” said Nash. “It gives them something to look at that a lot of kids don’t get to see.”
With support from the Montana Farm to School program, the virtual field trip will go beyond the video screen as students will be able to enjoy hamburger-themed lunches throughout the month of May with local beef purchased from Montana Marbled Meats.
Capdeville said she has added additional beef-themed meals into the monthly lunch menu, along with the hamburgers. On May 5, the kids will have the opportunity to try a meal of hamburger-gravy over mashed potatoes, and on May 25, the mean will include shepherd’s pie.
“I didn’t what to do anything that required seasoning like chili or spaghetti to take away from the flavor of the beef,” said Capdeville. “I wanted the kids to taste the full flavor of the beef.”
Montana Farm to School is broadly defined as a program that connects schools (K-12) and local farms with the objectives of serving healthy meals in school cafeterias, improving student nutrition and providing education about agriculture, health and nutrition. The program also as supports local and regional farmers.
“It is a great program both on the economic and educational levels,” said Capdeville. “Economically, it supports local farmers and ranchers. Educationally, kids learn about were their food comes from around the state of Montana.”
