Tag Archives: Moorestown Friends School

MFS Intensive Learning 2019 – Pine Barrens Experience

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Two weeks ago Pine Island was pleased to once again host the Moorestown Friends School Intensive Learning Pine Barrens program. From the MFS website:

For one week each March, regular classes are suspended for “Intensive Learning,” when Middle and Upper School students and teachers engage in an in-depth study of a specific subject, often involving off-campus research. This long-standing MFS tradition – which dates to the mid 1970s – allows teachers and students to break out of the structure of formal class periods and traditional study by subject disciplines (math, English, history) for a time of experiential learning in out-of-classroom settings.

The morning started off with a brief history of the farm and the family before team members Matt Giberson and fifth generation grower Mike Haines gave the group a talk about a year on the farm.

Then it was time for a walk! Matt and Mike took the group over to one of our young beds, whwere we’ve removed the winter flood. This was a great chance for the group to actually get their feet in a bog and see up close how cranberry vines grow.

There was even a little bit of time to take a tour of our shop and check out some of our equipment!

“I like talking to this group every year,” Matt says. “It was a good opportunity for them to come out and see what we do, because how a cranberry farm works is a new experience for them. I think they enjoyed the equipment aspect a lot. It’s a shame that they can’t be here a little later when things are growing and it’s a little more interesting, but it’s a chance to see something that not a lot of people get to see in the off-season, and that’s just as important.”

MFS Intensive Learning 2017

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Yesterday we had our annual visit from the Moorestown Friends School Intensive Learning Pine Barrens program. From the MFS website:

For one week each March, regular classes are suspended for “Intensive Learning,” when Middle and Upper School students and teachers engage in an in-depth study of a specific subject, often involving off-campus research. This long-standing MFS tradition – which dates to the mid 1970s – allows teachers and students to break out of the structure of formal class periods and traditional study by subject disciplines (math, English, history) for a time of experiential learning in out-of-classroom settings.

The students in the Pine Barrens group spent some time learning about the history of the pines, and finished up their week by coming to visit us and see what people are doing in the present.

Mike Haines and Matt Giberson opened with an overview of Pine Island and our various tasks throughout the year, followed up by the always-lively John Parke, Stewardship Project Director for New Jersey Audubon. Afterward, we took the students out to walk through a young bog and then out to one of our forestry sites.

“I thought the kids asked some great questions,” says Mike. “It was cool this year we were not only able to tell them about our operation, but also they got to hear from John about the quail release project. Cranberry farming is part of the history of the pines as well as a continuing industry, so I really liked being able to add to the breadth of the topics they’ve been covering all week.” Matt agrees: “It was a lot of fun seeing the kids get into the tour this year, especially with John being there. It was a good opportunity to see how Pine Island’s growing season works, but also how our other projects are not only beneficial to our operation but to the community as well.”

“It was an absolute pleasure to present information about the quail translocation project to the students,” says John Parke. “It’s great to see kids getting out to the farm and learning in the field about the importance of agriculture, land management and how it ties to natural resource protection,” Parke added, “because children who are connected to the land and understand value of nature and agriculture, can positively shape the future as good stewards.”

MFS Intensive Learning 2016

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Today, Pine Island Cranberry was once again happy to welcome some students from Moorestown Friends School for an overview and tour of our operation.

The group was here as part of an annual week-long “Intensive Learning” experience. As described on their website:

For one week each March, regular classes are suspended for “Intensive Learning,” when Middle and Upper School students and teachers engage in an in-depth study of a specific subject, often involving off-campus research. This long-standing MFS tradition. . .allows teachers and students to break out of the structure of formal class periods and traditional study by subject disciplines (math, English, history) for a time of experiential learning in out-of-classroom settings.

The students in our group have spent the week immersed in “A Unique Pine Barrens Experience”, where they “learn the unique history and culture of the nearby ‘Pinelands,’the first National Reserve created by Congress. The area has also been designated by the United Nations an International Biosphere Reserve, yet the area is little known, even to people who live nearby. We will spend time hiking and exploring the forest as well as learning about the intriguing history of the area, including the Jersey Devil and the indigenous ‘Piney’ population.” As you can see, they’ve had quite a busy week, and we were more than happy to be a part of their extensive program!

First, we subjected them to a PowerPoint presentation (and they were very good sports about it!) with an overview of our tasks throughout the year introduced by managers Mike Haines and Matt Giberson. The students raised some excellent questions; our personal favorite was “Are the Ocean Spray commercials filmed here?” (Answer: Not yet. . .but there’s always next year!) Matt and Mike then took the group out to see an established bed, a young bed, and finally, a quick trip over to part of our 2016 renovation.

As always, it was a pleasure to show people what we do here year-round, especially with such an attentive and interested group! We’re looking forward already to next year and the opportunity to show more of the next generation what we do and who we are.

MFS Intensive Learning 2015

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This week, Pine Island Cranberry was pleased to host a group of students from Moorestown Friends, who were doing an intensive learning unit on the Pine Barrens!

They started their visit with an introduction to the place by CEO Bill Haines, who talked a little bit about family, history, tradition, and of course, the water. He then turned the program over to PIICM Manager Cristina Tassone and New Production Manager Mike Haines.

Cristina and Mike took the students through a slideshow tour of the yearly life cycle of the cranberry harvest, answering questions along the way. The students showed a lot of curiosity, especially about the water management. Cristina and Mike also spent some time explaining how we take a corporate structure and make it work for the unique needs of an agricultural operation.

After that, it was time to get everyone’s feet in the bog! The students took a walk into a bog where the winter flood had been temporarily removed for sprinkler installation and got a closer look at uprights, runners, and budding, as well as the ditches for our irrigation system. They also got to explore the platform at the packing house.

Their biggest lesson learned, in their own words, was “how essential water quality is to cranberry growing, and how much the company does to protect this natural resource.”

It’s always a pleasure to show people what we do here year-round, especially with such a lively and attentive group! We’re looking forward already to next year and the opportunity to show more of the next generation what we do and who we are.

MFS: Pine Barrens Intensive Learning

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This week, Pine Island Cranberry was very pleased to host a group of students from Moorestown Friends on their week-long Pine Barrens Intensive Learning experience. Per the MFS website, this particular IL unit provides student with the chance “to learn the unique history and culture of the nearby ‘Pinelands,’ the first National Reserve created by Congress. The area has also been designated by the United Nations as an International Biosphere Reserve. We will spend time hiking and exploring the forest as well as learning about the intriguing history of the area, including the Jersey Devil and the indigenous ‘Piney’ population.”

The morning started with a presentation by CEO Bill Haines on the history of the farm and some of the changes that have been made throughout the years. He spoke of the generations who came before and how each successive generation has since made its own mark. He explained why cranberries and blueberries are so essential to the Pine Barrens: because the growers understand the need for an abundant supply of clean water. “The key thing to know about this farm and this industry is the water supply,” he says. “Where does it come from, and where do we want it to go? And we’re fortunate that we have the opportunity to be here and to do that, because we understand that we need to protect all the resources here if we want to remain in business.”

Bill then introduced PIICM manager Cristina Tassone, who started out with us as an intern seven years ago and now this year is making all the major crop decisions. Cristina’s presentation mentioned how her position is analogous to that of a parent: her job is essentially to be the caregiver of the crop. She also included the basic life cycle of a cranberry bog, starting with an explanation of sanding and why it works.

“Once the water comes off, we have an eight-member ICM team that’s in those bogs every day,” Cristina says. “All season long we’re walking in the bogs, checking to see what they need. We currently grow nine different varieties that require different management strategies due to growth stage, color of leaves, disease, and pest issues.”

The group was surprised by some of the water management aspects, particularly the layout and how the bogs were interconnected via gates. They also asked some great questions about sustainability and the effect of cranberry farming on the water supply. And a lot of them enjoyed the next part of the presentation, which involved taking them out to a bog that has recently been drained in order to install sprinklers.

For their part, the students were able to tie in what they learned from us–the importance of clean water and sandy acidic soil–with other visits around the Pines this week, and got confirmation on the low impact of cranberry harvesting on the Pine Barrens ecosystem from their next stop at Pakim Pond.

“It was great to have them out here,” says Cristina. “I absolutely love talking about what we do; it really is a unique opportunity to do this work on this scale. It’s fantastic for us, to be a local business with such deep roots available to educate as well as give students the chance to have a better understanding of what it takes to grow cranberries, not just assume we walk around in waders all day like the commercials. And it’s important to share the opportunities we have to offer as a future career possibility.”