Students at a New York high school will soon have the opportunity to provide the food that they and their classmates will eat for lunch.
Windsor Central School District will be raising their own beef cows to learn about livestock farming, WIVT reported.
The state has given the district $89,970 to increase the use of beef raised in New York in school district meals, WBNG reported.
The high school will now buy cows each year, raise them in an area on the school grounds, and will then use them for meat when the time comes that they’re ready.
The cows aren’t expected to be on the campus this year. Instead, the district will get the infrastructure ready to house the herd.
The first year the school will have cows, the district will buy an adult cow that is near processing age and a calf. Then each year after, the district will buy two calves.
The cycle from purchasing to processing is expected to take 18 to 20 months, according to the school’s agriculture teacher.
Not only will the students be providing lunch for classmates in the future, but the program will also help them find out if they want to pursue a career in agriculture.
“They’ll get a greater appreciation for food production and processing, and the career opportunities that are inherent within the industry. The pride and work ethic that goes into this type of enterprise is something the students can take with them,” Tina Miner-James said, according to WIVT.
The school said the students who participate in the program will also get instruction through the beef quality assurance training program, the same program offered to beef producers, on how to raise beef cattle humanely, Miner-James said in a news release.
Not all agree with the program. One comment on Facebook suggested paring a farmer with students who want to learn what it takes to raise livestock, including cleaning the barn and feeding them.
Other people on social media are concerned that the students will become attached to the animals.
Some suggested using chickens and goats instead of cows.
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