LOWER LAKE — Last Thursday afternoon, Christian Ahlmann had what he jokingly called a “mob of kids” outside at Six Sigma Ranch. About 50 students from a homeschooling association were there to participate in an outdoor learning class.
After a two-year hiatus, Ahlmann, vice president and vineyard manager, said the ranch was starting its outdoor classes back up, and had its first round of students on Oct. 11 from Lower Lake High School (LLHS) who learned about the environmental impact of farming, lifecycles and nutrient cycles.
“There are plenty of opportunities to have a good impact on kids here in Lake County, we don”t have to go that far,” Ahlmann said.
Students from as far as Sacramento have also taken field trips to the ranch, and Ahlmann said he remembers one particular student who yelled out at the end of the class, “this is the best day ever.”
“To hear and see the kind of stuff by just letting a kid see our daily stuff is really impactful,” Ahlmann said.
The class is three hours long and based around a hike and taught by Ahlmann”s wife Rachel Ahlmann, he said. It starts at the main tasting room, and students hike through the vineyard as well as get a chance to feed some of the livestock the ranch uses to manage the vineyard floor to avoid the use of pesticides or herbicides.
The outdoor classes are mostly for elementary school students; however, after having about 18 LLHS students from the introduction to agriculture and animal science classes, Ahlmann said the ranch might invite more high school groups that show strong interest in agriculture, such as the Lake County 4-H Club.
There is also an Ag Education Center currently in the works.
The 5,000-square-foot building has its foundation built, and will open sometime next year, Ahlmann said.
The center will also serve as a wine tasting room and a place to host events, he said. It will be surrounded by fruit trees and will “summarize what we do on the ranch.”
Ahlmann”s parents, Kaj and Else Ahlmann, bought the ranch in 2000 and “this is their way to share their ranch with the community and they are really excited to do so.”
Berenice Quirino is the assistant editor for Lake County Publishing. She can be reached at 263-5636, ext. 42 or at bereniceq@record-bee.com.
Contributed photo
Elementary school students hike at Six Sigma Ranch in Lower Lake during an outdoor education class.
