JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP — Many U.S. households are growing their own food in their backyards as a way to save money.
The USDA says the prices for fresh vegetables at the store have gone up every year since 2022.
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As reported on News Center 7 at 5:00 p.m., Learning Tree Farm in Jefferson Township has taught people how to sustain a garden and farm for over 50 years.
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Learning Tree Farm was founded in 1973 by two elementary school teachers as a way to teach kids about nature and farming.
Wednesday morning, hundreds of excited students showed up for a field trip.
“When I started here, we had maybe three educators, so we could handle maybe 50 or 60 kids a day; now we handle over 100 in our big field trip seasons, which is spring and fall,” Loralynn Kadell, the director of farm operations, said.
Kadell says there is a lot of learn for kids that come by.
In the garden, they learn how to grow things like cotton, flowers, and other fresh vegetables.
There is also a beehive on the farm where kids can see how honey is made.
The animals on the farm are a fan favorite.
Instructors bring students to each pen where they get to learn their role on the farm and how to take care of them.
“We base it on the grade level, so the pre-K will get a different experience than the second graders, and we try to teach them a little bit about agriculture, a little Ohio history, but then also just science, math, large motor skills,” Kadell said.
Students stopping by for field trips aren’t the only ones learning how to sustain a farm.
Volunteers stop by every Wednesday morning for two hours.
Kadell told News Center 7’s Taylor Robertson that volunteers will help with whatever is needed around the farm.
In the garden, she says volunteering has been a great tool for people interested in learning to start their own garden to see if it’s a good idea.
“And we do get a fair amount that are like, ‘yeah, this is way too much work,’ and they’re just like, ‘yeah, once was enough,’ and that’s okay too,” Kadell said.
The food grown at the farm is not sold, but rather given back to students or volunteers helping it grow.
The farm is kept running through field trips, donations, and grants.
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