First phase of Oakdale school farm could break ground soon

By fall, Oakdale students will likely have a farm where they can learn about raising crops and livestock.

The board of the Oakdale Joint Unified School District voted this week for the $500,000 first phase of the project, along Brady Road near the west edge of town. The site will be used by kindergarten through 12th-graders and their 4-H and FFA chapters.

This phase, on 13 of the 26 acres, will include an entry road, well, row crops and “hoop barn” for livestock. The barn is a flexible structure that can be adapted to class needs.

The second phase could add almond or walnut trees by 2018. The nuts eventually will be harvested and sold to help pay for the farm.

District Superintendent Marc Malone provided an update at the 43rd annual Ag Scholarship Luncheon for the Oakdale Chamber of Commerce. He said a June groundbreaking is planned for the farm, to be funded by fees paid by developers.

The Thursday event at the Gene Bianchi Community Center raised money for high school seniors planning to study agriculture and related subjects in college. The school farm will help future students who are on this career track, while exposing town kids to farming.

Elsewhere on the Farm Beat:

The Oakdale luncheon also featured a talk on rural crime by Stanislaus County Sheriff Adam Christianson. Farmers and ranchers continue to deal with trespassing, vandalism and theft of metal, livestock, equipment and other property.

Christianson said much of the problem stems from methamphetamine and other illegal drugs.

“Addiction is an epidemic,” he said. “We know that addiction fuels property crime.”

The sheriff said increased funding has helped rebuild his staff after several years of cuts, but deputies cannot always respond quickly. He advised farmers to:

▪  Mark equipment with unique ID numbers available through the Sheriff’s Department

▪  Take photos of suspicious people and vehicles and share them with deputies

▪  Wherever possible, “lock it down, tie it down, nail it down, chain it down …”

Finally, three people in or near Stanislaus County are learning leadership through a program of the California Farm Bureau Federation. They are:

▪ Daniel Bays of Patterson, who grows several permanent and row crops and serves on the bureau’s Young Farmers and Ranchers State Committee, among other activities.

▪ Caitie Campodonico, program director for the Stanislaus County Farm Bureau and grower-relations representative for the East San Joaquin Water Quality Coalition.

▪ Shaun Crook, president of the Tuolumne County Farm Bureau. He works in cattle ranching, logging and real estate.

The program, Leadership Farm Bureau, provides its 10 members with training in communication and other skills, tours to learn about agricultural issues in California, and advocacy trips to Sacramento and Washington, D.C.

This story was originally published March 18, 2016 at 5:43 PM with the headline "First phase of Oakdale school farm could break ground soon."