Local egg farmer shares farm life with Sprucedale kindergarten class

Egg farmer Julie Wynette explains how the laying hens on her family’s farm are housed. She also showed students a video tour of the inside of the barns. Slides highlighting the nutritional value of eggs were included as part of the presentation. Gary West photo

By Gary West

Students in the kindergarten class at Sprucedale Public School in Shakespeare recently received a hands-on lesson in where their food comes from.

Julie Wynette, a Tavistock-area egg farmer, visited the classroom to explain how eggs are produced on her family’s farm and to give students a closer look at modern egg farming.

For several years, local farmers have been invited into area schools to help connect young students with agriculture and the origins of the food they eat. Wynette’s visit offered an age-appropriate introduction to the daily work involved in caring for laying hens.

During her presentation, Wynette showed the class a video tour of the family’s egg barn. Students were able to see and hear the hens clucking as they moved freely in their enriched housing environment – eating, drinking and nesting to lay the eggs collected each day.

She explained what the hens are fed, how the barns are kept clean and well ventilated, and how the birds’ natural behaviours are supported in the modern system.

Wynette was joined by her two sons, Nash and Reid, who both attend Sprucedale. She told the class that egg farming is very much a family effort, with she and her husband, Kyle, working together with their boys to collect eggs every day of the year.

Egg farming, she noted, is a 365-day-a-year commitment.

Wynette also spoke about the nutritional value of eggs, highlighting the protein and other nutrients they provide. When she asked how many students liked eggs, every hand in the room went up. Some children even shared their own experiences helping care for chickens and other animals on family farms.

Following her talk, Wynette set up activity stations where students divided into small groups to complete egg-themed crafts, reinforcing what they had learned about egg farming in a fun and creative way.

The visit not only gave students a better understanding of how eggs make their way from farm to table but also helped foster an early appreciation for the work of local farm families.