Farm providing real-life lessons for Illinois high schoolers

But it's not the traditional classroom, with desks and a white board. Greenfield High School purchased a farm a few miles from the school to house its animals and teach students in its agriculture program about farming, animals and agriculture business.

Teacher Beth Burrow oversees the farm with the help of her students, who have spent the better part of the school year renovating buildings on the farm grounds, building pens for the animals and cleaning up debris left behind by the property's previous owners.

"I've taught for going on 20 years and this facility has sat vacant for the last 15," Burrow said. "I always thought I'd like to start a farm where the students could raise animals and learn."

After working with the previous owners of the property and using a $15,000 grant for renovations, Burrow and the district's students began making her vision a reality.

Though it only has a few chickens, rabbits and hogs so far, the eventual goal is to expand as the program begins to make money and repairs are completed. Even the school's agriculture business class will be involved in managing the farm's finances.

Incoming senior Joelle Ford said the farm provides a great change of pace in the school day.

"It was nice to get out of the classroom, be outside, learn some hands-on skills," Ford said. "We got to use tools and build stuff and take care of the animals. We recently had baby rabbits that we bred and it was nice to see them grow. And the baby chickens we raised, they're all big chickens now."

Illinois jail launches horticulture program for inmates

The hogs are a new addition to the farm. They will be bred later this summer so the students will be involved in the births and raising of the piglets, Burrow said.

From feeding to shoveling manure, the students did it all this past school year.

"I like the responsibility it teaches the kids," Burrow said. "They do it all — the feeding, the chores, the cleaning, the repairs. I could see it was something they took pride in."

Though a lot of work already has gone into the farm, there still is a lot of work to be done, Burrow said. Because of requests from the district's insurance company, a lagoon on the property has to be pumped dry, additional trees and brush have to be removed and the ground has to be worked before it can be turned into a pasture that eventually will be used for the animals.

A lot of the work has been donated by local businesses and community members who have stepped up to help on the projects, Burrow said.

"I'm grateful for all the support so many people have shown this crazy idea of mine," she said. "And I'm sure there are plenty of people who think it's crazy."

Once the water has been removed, students will help build fencing around the property and with any additional work that needs to be completed, Burrow said. Other community members have volunteered to remove trees and brush and help with the land.

Ford said she is excited to continue working on the farm next school year.

"We had to make sure we had a good foundation to build the rest on," Ford said. "It's been satisfying to get to see our work and see the difference compared to what it use to look like."

The farm is just in the beginning stages, but Burrow is hopeful about where it will go, she said.

"The goal is for it to be a self-sustaining farm overseen by the students," Burrow said. "The hope is that when we sell our hogs we will have enough profit for the next batch and we'll just continue to grow."