My Senior Venture project will focus on the expansion and sustainability of the DarFarm. I have lived on a farm my entire life, and I am interested in agriculture and husbandry. I plan on studying agricultural operations management in college, and I feel the DarFarm is a way to widen my views and potential. My project will focus on managing the bees and honey, expanding the livestock at the farm, planting, growing, and selling succulents, and selling eggs.
One of my goals is to expand the production of honey at the DarFarm. Recently, I have been completing research on the behavior of a beehive colony. I have learned how bees keep the colony thriving while producing honey. Currently, we have three active hives at the DarFarm, and I will be working with Mrs. Hayes to expand that number to five. I assisted with harvesting the honey at the DarFarm this fall, and I will soon be selling jars of the DarFarm honey at school. The sheriff of Floyd county, Tim Burkhalter, is my second cousin, and as a hobby he makes all-natural homemade honey with his own bee farm. Tim will assist me with becoming a beekeeper.
I would also like to purchase rabbits and goats for the farm. Having goats, rabbits, and chickens at the farm will provide more hands on experiences for our students. They will learn how the field of husbandry functions and the processes that go into it. I will also be working on sustaining and helping the production and selling of the chicken eggs and plants grown in our own facilities. I have been assisting with selling eggs and taking care of the chickens. The succulent sale will take place after Thanksgiving, and I will be working with Bernice Yuan to advertise the selling of the plants. Currently, I am working with Mr. Kinney to purchase pots for the plants.
I want to thank my Darlington mentors, Mr. Hudson, Mr. Kinney, and Mrs. Haynes for assisting me with this project. I am thankful to have this opportunity to focus on something that has been a passion of mine for many years. I am very excited to see how many students become more interested in agriculture through my Senior Ventures project.
The Senior Ventures leadership program is a year-long senior project built on a framework of leadership, innovation, and community engagement. The topic and the project design are chosen by an individual student or a pair of students, and the journey is guided by Darlington faculty as well as mentors in the community. Most projects fall into one of the following categories: Investigation, Performance, Entrepreneurship, and Outreach. Candidates are selected according to proposal quality, feasibility, and commitment.
