Lawton students experience life ‘down on the farm’

While Lawton Public Schools fifth graders vainly tried to rope a “steer” on Tuesday, Kahl Hoerbert showed his fellow students how it’s done.

The fifth grader took the rope in his hands, made a noose, swung it over his head and expertly roped the roping block. His fellow students oohed and ahhed in appreciation of his talent.

It wasn’t the first time Hoerbert has roped something. The 10-year-old has been roping calves and steers for a couple of years, by his own estimation. He said it took his dad 10-12 months to teach him the skill. The youngster competes in rodeos in steer stomping and calf and steer breakaway and wants to compete on the rodeo circuit when he grows up.

Although roping was not new to Hoerbert, the skill was new to most of the fifth graders who participated in Lawton Public Schools Ag Day on Tuesday. Held at the school farm on Southwest Lee Boulevard, the day is meant to expose students, most of who live in the city, to life on the farm.

“We want to expose Lawton students to the ag concept,” said Lindsey Hoerbert, a member of Lawton Public School’s Ag Education Department and Kahl’s mother. “We want them to see how their food is grown. We want them to take away how ag products come to them and not just from animals. Ag is more than just showing livestock. And honestly to have a great time.”

And having a great time they were.

The students churning butter under the tutelage of Sharon Stuckey, Eisenhower High School ag teacher, were getting quite the workout. As each student rotated through her station, they were given a little container of heavy whipping cream. Their task was to “churn” it into butter, a process Stuckey said could take 10-20 minutes depending on how hard they shake and how much effort they put into it.

“It takes a lot of movement,” she said. “It teaches the kids about dairy products. They start shaking away and we end up with butter.”

At the end of the exercise, the students who have properly churned their butter are given a cracker so they can taste the final product.

“I’ve heard ‘It’s really hard to do’ to ‘It’s awesome. We get to eat something,’” she said.

Julianna Chaddlestone successfully churned her whipping cream into butter and took the taste test.

“I tasted like butter without the salt,” she said. “It made my arms hurt (churning).”

The students also got to take something home. When they visited the greenhouse for a session on plants, they planted a pansy in a cup.

For some, it was the first time they had planted something. But Angel Garcia said he had planted apple and orange seeds before. He was looking forward to taking his pansy home and replanting it.

“I think I can replant it so I can get more pansies,” he said. “I really want one of the multi-colored ones. I’m going to ask my mom if I can put it in a pot. When it gets warm, I will put it outside. Hopefully it will grow beautiful.”

Lindsey Hoerbert said Ag Day activities are designed for fifth and seventh graders. All told, about 2,000 students will rotate through the various stations at the school farm this week.