Krystal Thomas, the director of San Marcos High School’s agriculture program says, “Our goal is to get students prepared, and a lot of times that doesn’t just happen in a classroom, they need that hands-on experience so that whenever they go out in the work field, they have those practical experiences that they can use. It also makes them a more hireable employee because they have this facility that they can use hands on.”

The Twin Oaks farm consists of two farms, the first holding five cows that are student’s projects, and the second, perpendicular to the cow barn is intended to be home to sheep, goats and pigs- but as for now, Mazie, a small sheep, is the only inhabitant. There are two performing arenas where students practice their showmanship for the Del Mar Fair in which they will compete for prizes and ultimately have their cattle sold at the fair. The last part of this facility is a poultry farm in which turkeys, roosters, chickens and ducks will live comfortably.

The cattle in these facilities are student projects intended to connect the students to agriculture, and further their education on how to properly care for cattle and contribute to the agricultural industry. Students with their own cattle come out to the farm every morning and afternoon to clean, feed and and exercise them. Thomas, who is not only the advisor for the SMHS FFA, but teaches agricultural chemistry, agricultural biology and vet science connects the participation on the farm to a school curriculum.

“We’re teaching agriculture in our classrooms, we’re using science standards to teach, so that’s where our students get interested in having projects…our students have to have a project, it just has to be related to the agricultural industry,” Thomas said. “During school hours, we will be using this facility for field trips on block days… we want to do a rotation, and bring students out here to enhance their learning, what they’re learning in the classroom and apply it to our school farm. In our soil chemistry class, we can talk about different types of soil, and then we can collect soil samples out here. There’s a lot of chemistry behind ruminant animals.”

San Marcos Middle School has recently taken part in an agricultural curriculum as well. Teaching students from an even younger age has become a unifying process for students with a passion for agriculture. Expanding the education of agriculture is vital for all students in the San Marcos Unified School District.

Thomas says, “Students having a basic understanding of agriculture in general is super important… A lot of students don’t realize where their food comes from and why we can buy avocados year round in our grocery stores. The sustainability aspect  of agriculture is becoming really huge for everybody because we’re seeing the carbon footprint, especially us in these more urban areas… There’s a big push for buying from farmers markets, buying locally. Educating the general students on sustainable agriculture is really important, having our students take a small role in that… our students have an opportunity to learn and take on that knowledge wherever they go after high school.”