Cow and Citrus

For Agriculture and Environment Day, we got the opportunity to visit the Journal Plaza, the dike, and the Smoak Ranch. Our first stop was at the Journal Plaza, here we heard from Teri Grooms, the owner of Good News Café. We learned about her journey and how Good News Café came to be. We were also treated to a very delicious blueberry smoothies and chocolate chip cookies. In the Journal Plaza we also visited the Blueberry Patch. We got to walk around and were shown historical aspects of the shop. Before heading out to our next destination, we learned about a few historical murals around Lake Placid. Our next stop was the dike. Here we learned about water conservation and the ongoing study of ospreys conducted by Mike McMillan. Our final stop was the Smoak Ranch. Here we had lunch and took a buggy ride around the ranch. Before heading out on the buggy, Jason Cloud talked to us about cow and citrus production. One of our activities on the Smoak Ranch consisted of three tress and a long chain that was tightened around them. The object of this activity was to be able to walk across the chain from one tree to another with a partner. Although are instinct was to lean outward and to rush across, we quickly learned that if we wanted to get through this challenge we needed some self-discipline (to take our time and lean against someone in times of needs). Before heading home, Ms. Tracee talked to us about the oak tree. We learned that although life knocks you down, you need to find ways to prosper again even in the most difficult times and use the strength you find for good.