More than forty students from the Woodlake Highschool Academy of Sustainable Agriculture came to Lindcove REC on October 1 to learn what we do for agricultural research. The Ag Mechanic students, led by Ag Supervisor Don Cleek and Physical Plant Mechanic Dan Seymore, explored principles of tractor operation, the operations and output of the fruit grading system on the citrus packline, irrigation pump operations, shop tools and safety. Each Ag Mechanics student assembled a wooden box. The Natural Resources students, led by Director Beth Grafton-Cardwell and Staff Research Associate Sara Scott studied the life cycle of the citricola scale and the California red scale using hand lenses and microscopes. The Natural Resources students participated in an experiment by sampling citricola scale in the field, conducted calculations of the mean number of scales in each treatment and discussed the impact of two pesticides on the scale population. This was an exciting day of hands-on involvement by students in the operations and science of a University research facility.
