VCAL Excursion

On Wednesday the 21st of April the Senior VCAL group along with Mr Govan, Ms Adriaans and Mr Raneberg went to the Tuki Trout Farm and Soho Rose Farm. We started off by listening to the owners of the trout farm, Robert and Jan, who told us about the history of the place and how it all began. Then Mark took us to the ponds and discussed the techniques to use while fishing for the rainbow trout. He explained the ponds were around 4 metres deep and each one had 6000-7000 fish in them. 

We paired up and started fishing with most groups catching a fish, some more than others. Once we caught the fish, they had to be dressed ready for cooking. Some people helped with this part, while others just watched. For lunch we were given the trout we had caught, in a roll with salad. We thanked Robert and Jan for having us and went to our next stop which was Captain Creek Organic Vegetables. 

At Captain Creek we met Caroline, who told us she and her husband Doug built up the farm with little to no knowledge, building their business and expertise along the way. Within their 200 acres were multiple different crops, cattle, goats, chickens and sheep. The farm is a 100% organic farm, meaning no pesticides, herbicides, or any other "cides" are put onto the crops. We toured around the farm with James, who works there. His extensive knowledge of farming taught us a lot. James told us about the different crops on the farm, including multiple types of tomatoes, carrots, apples, corn, turnips, and many types of nuts. 

It was really interesting to learn about crop farming and the trial and error involved in the process. James also showed us some of the stages in composting, from stage one of breaking down dry corn stalks that become waste, to the final stage of compost dirt after letting the dirt break down itself and trapping in the heat for weeks. We saw crops that had died that morning because of the heavy frost, showing us how tricky crop farming can be. 

Overall, the senior VCAL students, along with the teachers, had a great day out at different places, learning a lot along the way.

Bella & Elysia