News
Blairgowrie Farm opens its doors to teach local children about food
Lucky pupils from Rattray Primary School were invited by The Co-operative to its local farm in Blairgowrie to see how food is grown.
Veronica McLean, manager of The Co-operative Food store on Perth Street, Blairgowrie, visited Rattray Primary School and invited them to Rosemount Farm. The school was so keen to take up the offer, they booked their trip to the farm a few days later.
The children, aged six and seven, enjoyed a busy outdoor learning day at the farm which is owned by The Co-operative Farms (part of The Co-operative Group). During their visit, they learnt about hedgerows and their importance for wildlife, identified crops growing in the field, saw how strawberries are grown, dug in the soil using trowels to find worms, and planted their own seeds. They also had the opportunity to see how wheat is used for food, by cooking their own pizzas.
The Co-operative has been hosting a successful "From Farm to Fork" scheme at three of its farms across the UK, and this is the first time Blairgowrie has opened its doors to schools as part of the project. Other Co-operative Farms across the UK are due to start hosting visits from schools this spring.
The Co-operative has been farming at Blairgowrie since 1952 and crops grown include strawberries, spring and winter barley, oilseed rape, wheat and potatoes.
The Co-operative Group is supporting the Year of Food & Farming, launched by HRH The Prince of Wales, which aims to provide the opportunity for children to visit a local farm and learn about where their food comes from.
Louise Brown, class teacher at Rattray Primary School, said: "The children really enjoyed the farm visit, particularly the experience of planting their own seeds and cooking their own pizzas. These activities tied in well with current curriculum subjects, as the children are focusing on plants in Environmental Studies this term. Cooking and learning about food groups as part of their day was also very useful for the children, as we are teaching them about healthy eating."
Veronica McLean, manager of The Co-operative Food store in Perth Street, said: "As a community food store, we try to support local initiatives where we can. So we were pleased to offer Rattray Primary School the opportunity to visit our farm, and we will be approaching other schools in the area to invite them along."