The Green Certificate Poultry Program at Dewberry School broke ground in the fall of 2021, where seven students, their teacher, and a retired carpenter transformed a storage shed into a state-of-the-art backyard table-egg laying facility. With support of Buffalo Trail Public Schools and from industry experts such as Dr. Frank Robinson of the University of Alberta (who wrote the Poultry Program book), Susan Shafers of STS Farms, Valerie Carney of the University of Alberta, Art Vanzanten of Trouw Nutrition, Dave Lastiwka of Egg Farmers of Alberta, and turkey producer Hinke Therrien, the dream of utilizing the Green Certificate Program at Dewberry School quickly became a reality. The original goal of this program was to bring students back to the basics to develop a foundational knowledge of the agriculture industry, apply employability skills to a real-life structure, and to allow students the opportunity, who otherwise would not have, to graduate with a certificate that can be applied directly in the agriculture industry. Since its inception, 13 students have achieved their Green Certificates, and this year’s group of 8 students is well on their way, with 12 students projected to take part next year in this growing and thriving course.
Green Certificate is an agricultural training program with an apprenticeship style delivery with the purpose to assist the development of a skilled, safe, and trained agricultural labor workforce. At Dewberry School, students can earn 16 30-level credits through the program with an additional 2 credits for AGR 3000 and HCS 3000, which are prerequisites for both this program and work experience. Typically, students have been able to achieve their whole Green Certificate within one school year, in our on/off campus model. What makes this program unique is students have guided instruction from the industry experts listed, and their teacher, Mr. Lancaster, who serves as the trainer and overseer of the student managed barn. Assessment is completed by trained assessors directly associated with the Green Certificate Program, and is completed in the style of three job interviews.
So what do students actually learn? First, how to care for, handle, and support the maintenance of a flock of 25 live hens from pullet to mature layers. They spend daily routines completing wellness checks of the flock, ensuring the barn temperature and humidity is regulated (through varying outdoor temperatures in this Alberta Climate), and take responsibility for the flock on weekends and holidays to honour the original off-campus nature of the program. The students also learn how to grade and market eggs, and develop an understanding of basic business principles. Further, students develop a thorough understanding of the chicken anatomy by participating in a real-life dissection.
Major sponsors of the program are Susan Schafers of STS Farms, who has so far donated three flocks of pullets, and Art Vanzanten from Trouw Nutrition who formulates, delivers, and donates all of our feed.
Story Submitted by: Bri Blackie, Buffalo Trail Public Schools
