On Monday, Aug. 19, the Agriculture Food and Natural Resources class, which is made up of freshmen students from both Woonsocket and Sanborn Central schools, and the Sanborn Central eighth grade agriculture class enjoyed two guest speakers during their class times. Both speakers/presenters discussed basic information about soil, including what soil consists of, the different types of soil, factors regarding use and misuse of soil and soil erosion. 

The first speaker, Jim Clendenin of Watertown, is a retired ag teacher from Lake Area Technical Institute who now works as a Soil Health Specialist for the South Dakota Health Coalition. Mr. Clendenin spoke about the different types of farming and how they affect the soil. He explained the different levels of soil and what each level is made up of. 

The second speaker was Kent Vlieger of Huron. Mr. Vlieger works for the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Huron. He brought a rainfall simulator with him and different types of soil to show the students the effects of rain or moisture on the land and how the different uses of the land can play a major role in how much damage the water can do to the soil, depending on how the land is used.

The agriculture classes are taught by Miss Jessica Ronning. All agriculture classes are conducted at Sanborn Central School, and the Woonsocket students who choose to take an ag class are bussed over to Sanborn Central.

…See a picture in this week’s issue of the Sanborn Weekly Journal.