School Field Trips

Third graders planting tomatoes for hunger relief

The Western Colorado Research Center offers unique opportunities for students to get hands-on experience in large-scale agriculture.  Field trips are free, and we provide any needed supplies. Area students can help plant our three-acre vegetable plots, explore our orchards to see plant life styles in action, and visit our beehives to learn about pollinators.  We’ve had kindergartners learn about the power of the sun and plant seeds in our greenhouse.  We’ve had AP Environmental Science students learn how plants can improve soil health and reduce water pollution.  Contact us with your ideas and we can make things happen.

We are most excited about providing meaningful service-learning opportunities, in which students harvest fruit and vegetables and then deliver the harvest to area food banks or hunger relief organizations.  This activity is a perfect fit for area third graders who help plant vegetables and tour the orchards in the spring and then help harvest the food in the fall when they become fourth graders.