Passamaquoddy youth wild berry package development

Passamaquoddy youth wild berry package development

Summary

The Passamaquoddy Tribe owns a wild blueberry farm (NEBCO) that is located over 50 miles away from the two Passamaquoddy Reservations in Washington County, Maine. There is little community involvement or knowledge about the farm which has been run by the Tribe for the past 24 years. NEBCO is currently in the process of doing market research to develop value-added products and a Native label for the purpose of generating more income for the Tribe. The Passamaquoddy Tribe would like to inspire young people to work in this farm business and we would like to involve them in the initial market research. These kids will be running this farm some day.

This grant targets 7th and 8th grade students at both Tribal communities. A pre-test was given to test knowledge about the farm, blueberries and cranberries. Students have been bused three times to the farm during the growing season. They visited during pollination, participated in the blueberry and cranberry harvest, and toured the blueberry canning factory. Currently, the students are doing in-school research on blueberries and cranberries and turning their knowledge into recipes, cooked products and artworks.

A design competition has been announced for the best berry value-added product and the best package. These products and packages will be displayed at a school open house held in the spring. Judging will take place at this event. A gathering will be held at each community where the winners will be honored and an honorarium payment will be given for each category of product design. These community gatherings will showcase the winners and the farm and set the stage for the NEBCO manager, board members and field workers to answer questions and further educate the community about the NEBCO farm.

A booklet will be created for this event which highlights the farm, the activities that go into farming wild berries, capital improvements, and a section on the future of the farm which would include student work. The students will also show power point presentations using the photographs they took on their visits.

In our reservation communities, a great way to reach community members is through the youth. The school open house and the community meeting will reach a wide range of community members and students. By promoting creativity and original ideas, the blueberry farm will inspire young people and educate them about the agricultural opportunities at Northeastern Blueberry Company.

Objectives/Performance Targets

• Promote community knowledge and pride in the Passamaquoddy Wild Blueberry Farm. Inspire Tribal youth to an interest in agriculture and business.

  Bus students from Pleasant Point and Indian Township to NEBCO to observe farm activities, harvest and processing the fruit.

  Provide educational materials and speakers to both schools to promote research of blueberries and cranberries and the Passamaquoddy connections to both fruit.

  Sponsor a design contest for students, where students will receive design awards for value-added berry products and marketing ideas.

  Coordinate a community open house with the school to promote student work and accomplishments and to educate the community about the NEBCO farm.

Accomplishments/Milestones

he work started in the spring of 2006 by conducting an introductory meeting at each school. The coordinator met with participating teachers and the school principals to discuss the project, identify educational materials that were needed by the teachers, and to develop a pre-test for students. The budget was presented and details of the up-coming trips were discussed. A letter was written to both school boards and to the superintendent of Maine Indian Education to let them know about the project. Digital cameras were purchased and cameras and educational materials were distributed at both schools. The pre-test was given to participating students.

The first bus trip to NEBCO was scheduled in late May. Forty-five students from both reservations and seven teachers arrived at NEBCO and were met by the manager, Darrell Newell. The students were given a brief pesticide training by a Tribal member working at NEBCO and then loaded in two buses to head out to the fields. In the fields, the students watched a bee-keeper demonstration from the bus. During lunch, the bee-keepers returned to answer questions and give further information. The group also visited the weather station on the farm and observed the daily data collection.

A smaller group of students visited the farm in August during the blueberry harvest. Two van loads of students and chaperones learned to rake and clean wild blueberries. We visited the migrant camps and meet up with friends and relatives from home who were working the harvest. Before returning home to clean and freeze the wild blueberries, the students visited the migrant school and mobile health facilities set up for the harvest.

In October, forty-three students returned to participate in the cranberry harvest. This time we scheduled them in two groups and each group was able to photograph and help with the cranberry harvest, then jump on the bus and tour the factory where the berries are canned. This was a big day, rather wet, but both groups returned home with a big bucket of cranberries and some canned blueberries from the factory.

Impacts and Contributions/Outcomes

At this juncture, 45 students have been directly impacted by this project. Many younger students have asked when they might get to visit, so I think many more students have been impacted. The middle school boys think that it is “cool” to work at NEBCO, and I consider that a large impact! Teachers now know about the farm and have spent some time integrating berry information and farm activities into their curriculum.

The seventh grade produced recipe books in English and Passamaquoddy for a language class. Many baked blueberry and cranberry goodies have been delivered to the elderly meal site in Pleasant Point for sharing and a taste test! Plans are in the making to ask an elder to give some cooking classes to the students in Indian Township. Some students are working on a bumper sticker promoting Passamaquoddy Blueberries.

The impact on the farm from this project has been very positive and a bit of a surprise. Participation by farm employees in educating the students has been exceptional. A strong desire was shown to share with the students and employees showed pride and appreciation for the company and its’ fruit. We look forward to the spring activities and sharing with the students again.

Collaborators: