Partners in Education

The Bradford Research and Extension Center is proud to be a Partner in Education with the Columbia Blue Ridge Elementary School. For the past two years Bradford has hosted nearly 480 students each year from Blue Ridge Elementary as an incentive trip.

The students learned about agriculture and how it affects their everyday lives and had a chance to venture into the corn maze. As an added feature in 2006, we grew hundreds of pumpkins for the students to decorate. We look forward in doing more with Blue Ridge Elementary by bringing science into the classroom as well as hosting an aquatic day and other special events.

Blue Ridge Elementary students enjoying the corn maze.
Students on the tour wagons ready to discover new and exciting things in agriculture at Bradford such as what does cotton look like or where do peanuts come from.
Bradford staff grew and picked over 500 pumpkins for the students to decorate.
Pumpkins were laid out in a field and students get to pick out the pumpkin that they want to decorate.
Decorating the pumpkins is intense!
Students showing off their art work to each other and their teacher.
After a hard morning of work the students enjoy lunch under Bradford’s big tent.