Animals. Plants. Natural Resources. When summertime hits the agriculture programs keeps on going. Every animal and plant on campus needs to receive the same care they got from the students during the school year.

During the school year, the students in the different Ag programs care for the barn, greenhouse, and new fish wall. Students in the Animal programs or foundations to Natural Resource Agricultural Science (NRAS) go to the barn in the am and pm every few weeks to care for the barn animals. The Plant science students go to the greenhouse to water the plants and the Natural Resource students care for most of the fish located on the campus.

With the students gone, the Ag teachers Dana Morton, Gregory Murrell, Laura O’Leary, Aimee Densmore, and Erika Edwards step up to the challenge of caring for the barns and greenhouse. Each teacher “takes turns caring and feeding the animals in the morning and afternoon all summer long,” according Morton, who is one of the animal science teachers.

Morton explained that the students come to the barns for the Scientific Agricultural Experience (SAE) projects and to show the pigs. She mentioned that they can “help with some of the barn duty stuff too.”

O’Leary, the Natural Resource teacher, mentioned that the plants in the green house are discarded, as well as a few other fish. On June 7 “the rainbow trout and both sets yellow perch” will be released. O’Leary will then be left with the tilapia. Gonzalo Revilla, a junior, is going to be taking the baby tilapia home.

Revilla has been in charge of the tilapia throughout his years at North Harford. He mentioned that he has even seen them give birth. When the fish go home with him, he will put them to good use in his aquaponic system. He is excited for the new addition, Revilla added.

The rest of the tilapia will be put into one tank with an automatic feeder, which still needs to be set up, says O’Leary. She also plans to come in about twice a week to check on the fish, but the tropical fish on the fish wall are going to have a new home in the summertime.