(upbeat music) - Coming up next on "NewsDepth."

What's growing around the country?

We check in with farmers.

Avian visitors make their way to our winter state.

tag along with students headed back to class in Abu Dhabi.

Plus, is this not the prettiest igloo you've ever seen?

"NewsDepth" is now.

(upbeat music) California is blooming.

Hello everybody, I'm Rick Jackson.

Thank you for joining us.

Well spring really hasn't sprung yet in Ohio, but in California, the conditions are ripe for beautiful blooms.

Did you know the Golden State produces about 80% of the world's supply of almonds?

According to the almond board of California, that makes it the state's number two cash crop.

A cash crop is a plant grown to be sold for a profit.

For just a few weeks each year, California's almond trees burst into flower.

Farmers can envision a bountiful harvest to come and Instagrammers can enjoy an awesome background for snapping photos.

But this takes everyone being respectful to the land.

Kay Recede has the story.

- [Kay] The almond blossoms are always a picturesque backdrop.

- This is beautiful.

Why would you not want to take a picture?

It's gorgeous.

- [Kay] But for growers such as Jake Wenger and Eric Heinrich.

- It's actually a really neat time for people to enjoy the whole valley becoming a flower farm.

- [Kay] The scenic beauty is sometimes marred by litter.

- This is still an area we're growing food.

And so when you're leaving trash, you're leaving trash in a food producing area.

That's problematic.

- Break off branches or take some home with them.

That's part of the crop.

That's part of the tree.

That's not right.

- [Kay] Both farmers say every season, uninvited guests snap photos in their family's orchards.

And they understand.

- Well we don't mind that.

If people want to come out and take pictures.

- It's awesome if people want to take pictures, but, you know, there's a respect that goes along with it as well.

- [Kay] The farmers say while gorgeous, this is also food and have respect for the people who grow it.

- Every one of these blooms could potentially turn into an almond one day.

And if those blooms are ripped off, that's crop that's being ripped off the tree before it ever has a chance to even develop.

- The almonds are in blossom for only about two weeks, so the issues related to picture takers, very temporary.

But the ongoing issue are the people who dump trash year round.

- Thank you, Kay.

Those flowers will take a while to grow into almonds.

Almond harvest isn't until around August.

Meanwhile, in Texas, that winter storm we told you about last week has taken its toll on some other crops.

Reporter Pooja Lodhia visited VegOut!

Farms in Waller County, Texas to show us the storm's impact.

- [Pooja] It's been four days without power.

And now that the electricity is back intermittently, there is still little relief.

In fact, it just gives the Koch's a glimpse into how much they have lost.

- It affects us all.

- Of course.

- Everybody - Of course.

- From the consumer to the supplier, to the grower, all of us, it's gonna hit us all.

- [Pooja] When tomato plants die, you have to start with the seed all over again.

And it takes at least four months before you'll have any tomatoes at all.

Koch says has at least some of the increased cost will be passed down to you, the consumer.

- March, April, May, June.

Here's summer.

I don't grow 'em in the summer.

I can't, it's too hot, right?

So I usually can only grow cucumbers, but even cucumbers, I have to start from seed.

Then you're talking six weeks, seven weeks.

- [Pooja] Here in rural Waller County, cattle farmers are also worried.

- If we wouldn't have found them when we did, they would have died.

About two hours of this, these cows aren't used to this.

- [Pooja] Tommy Davis and his family took some of their smallest livestock home last night.

They're hoping these little newborn calves can survive the week.

- We had one in house all last night in a coup, got him warmed up, and took him back out this morning.

I'm coming to check on his momma now, see if he's managed to get with his mom and be happy.

- [Pooja] Happiness can be hard to find when you're losing so much.

But for these farmers, it is all about looking to the future.

- It's my passion.

I was born to feed people.

That's it.

I was born to feed people and I love it.

I still love it.

And this hurts, but I'll still be in here tomorrow and I'll still be cleaning it out and we'll still be going because we love what we do.

- Thank you, Pooja.

Back in Ohio, we have to wait a bit before growing season arrives.

Take a look at the produce in your fridge.

You'll find it's coming from all over the place.

Oranges from Florida, tomatoes from Texas, even fruits and veggies from other countries.

But when it is Ohio's turned to grow, boy do we know how.

Mary's got the details about our state's top crops in this week's Know Ohio.

Take a look.

(upbeat music) - Boy, is anyone else hungry?

It's getting close to lunchtime.

And thankfully, I've got lots of delicious options.

But do you ever think about your food?

I mean, really think about it.

Almost everything we eat was grown for us by a farmer.

And it's not just our food.

Sometimes farmers had a hand in the clothes on our back and the fuel in our tanks.

Maybe some of you live on or near a farm.

That wouldn't be too surprising because guess what Ohio's number one industry is?

I hope you guessed farming, because it's farming.

But when we talk about farming as an industry, we tend to call it agriculture.

That's just a fancy word for all the different types of farming, from raising animals to growing crops.

But farming is also one of Ohio's oldest professions.

Before Ohio even officially existed, the people who lived here made their living farming.

Ohio's Native Americans grew corn, beans, and all kinds of veggies, like squash, sweet potatoes, and cabbage.

And the first European settlers in Ohio also took up the trade.

Before the 1800s, there was no Kroger or Giant Eagle.

If you wanted to eat something, you had to grow it yourself.

And that's exactly how the first Ohioans fed their families.

They raised wheat, corn, and other grain crops.

By 1849, Ohio produced more corn than any other state.

And that's still one of our top crops today.

But our number one crop is the soybean.

Soybeans and corn are number one and two because they're so versatile.

Even if you don't see these guys on your dinner plates, they can be used to feed animals or used to make biofuels, sweeteners, and cooking oils.

But we're coming up with new ways to use them every day, like in plastics and building materials.

If you've driven around our state, chances are you've seen one of these farms in action.

But sadly, the number of farms in our state is on the decline.

By the early 1900s, most Ohioans were living in urban areas.

And today, farmers as a group are getting older and older.

Most farm owners in Ohio are over 65 years old and younger generations aren't embracing this way of life.

That's bad news for us because without farms, we have no local food source.

Because this way of life is slowly fading, the Ohio Department of Agriculture started honoring farms that have continued to operate.

The Century Farm Program is meant to recognize the many contributions of family farms that have been around for over 100 years.

And we can do our part too.

A great way to support Ohio farmers is to head to a farmer's market.

There you can meet the farmers that grow your fruits and veggies and buy food directly from them.

My favorite thing to buy from my local farmer's market is Ohio's official state fruit, the tomato.

Sometimes it's fun for city folk like me to talk to farmers at the farmer's market and maybe get some tips for my own sad, suffering garden.

It's a good thing Ohioans today don't need to grow their own food like they did hundreds of years ago.

With my black thumb of death, I'd probably starve.

Speaking of, lunchtime?

- Thanks, Mary.

Well for now, there aren't fields of corn outside our windows.

No, not outside that one at least.

But the open fields and barren trees of winter do make it easier to spot some newly landed visitors.

Ohio is vacation central for birds that migrate South from the Arctic and Canada.

Migrate means to move from one area to another with the change of seasons.

We're home to some hearty year rounders, too.

Our Dennis Knowles asked naturalist Anthony Gazso to share about which birds you might spot in your backyard.

- There's a lot of birds that come here for the south.

This is south for the winter.

This is their Florida.

The first of our winter residents really start to show up in late October, early November.

The majority of them showing up probably mid November through early December, and they're just gonna be here.

until probably March or April.

They're coming from places in the northern reaches of Canada and in the Arctic circle itself.

So these are places that are not getting a lot of sunlight and they're not, you know, this time of year, even though it's cold there year round, it's still, in winter time, when you don't get a lot of sun, a lot of their food sources get cut off.

So they have to go further south just to find more food.

Good places to go in winter really kind of depends on what you want to see and what kind of elements you want to brave.

Lake Erie is a great spot in the winter time for sea ducks that make their way over here.

There's a lot of gulls that kind of come in that aren't necessarily common around here in this region.

You're gonna see brown creepers or nuthatches or woodpeckers, or you know, your chickadees and cardinals.

They're gonna hang out in the forest.

That's just where they live.

They don't necessarily want to be out in the open and other grassland birds that want an open area.

In Lake County?

Headlands, there's a little bit of forested area there.

The dunes have a large open space for some raptors and some sparrows.

And then you're by the lake too, So you get a lot of the winter waterfowl and the gulls and stuff out on the lake.

Birding isn't just going out with a pair of binoculars and seeing what you can see.

It's really about immersing yourself in your surroundings and observing what's around.

Birding by ear is a very important thing for all birders.

You know, some of us are better at it than others, but even if you're not that great at it, you typically will know the more common sounds.

You know what a blue jay sounds like, you know what a robin sounds like and that helps because if you hear something that's not something that you are familiar with, now you're like, okay, now I know to look over there, 'cause I hear something, I don't know what it is.

Another good thing to keep in mind when you're talking about birding by ear is those blue jays, like I said.

Blue jays, crows, these birds commonly will harass predators.

Raptors, hawks, even eagles and owls.

So if you start to hear a lot of blue jays just sort of screaming, it's a pretty good indication that there's something else around that can often lead you to an owl that thought he was hiding in a tree or a hawk that's been circling, looking for some lunch.

- Thanks, Dennis.

Well, for this week's poll, we want you to do a little bird watching of your own.

Have you observed any of the following birds?

Owl, hawk, goose, woodpecker, cardinal, and blue jay.

Head online to mark off any that you've seen.

I marked off hawk.

There was one behind the house next to mine on Saturday.

Well, speaking of outdoor activities, if you live near a lake in Ohio maybe you've noticed some tents out there on the ice.

Those are the huddles of some dedicated folks who cut a hole in the ice and then fish through it.

I mean, they must really like fresh fish or is it frozen at this rate?

Anyway, Susan-Elizabeth Littlefield knows all about it.

She's in Minnesota with some ice fishers, Susan?

- Oh man.

Losing feeling.

- [Susan] Conditions like this may make you crave conditions like that.

- [Ronnie] This is a nice perch right here.

- Like a video game.

- But the Anderson's left their beach front Texas home for the Minnesota lake top experience.

- [Woman] Like shooting fish in a bucket.

- This is a bucket list that I've always wanted to do, I've always wanted to go ice fishing.

- [Susan] So the southerners flew north to get some real frozen fish.

Do you feel safe on the ice?

- No.

- Absolutely.

(laughing) I feel very safe.

- If it's my time, I'm ready to go.

I just keep thinking that.

- [Susan] Although no ice is safe, this ice is solid, according to a pro - It's been cold.

It's been making a lot of ice.

- We're at.

- 24, 25.

- 26 inches, that's a lot of ice.

- [Jeff] That is a lot ice.

- [Susan] That's about seven new inches in seven days.

For fishing guide Jeff Heinrich, solid ice means solid business.

He's completely booked through the season.

- A lot of people coming out during the week a lot of people coming out and staying a few days and working from the lake.

So it's, they bring a laptop and they're working inside and doing stuff like that and fishing at the same time.

- Here we go.

- Hold that big boy up.

- [Susan] It seems all those negative temperatures did have some positives.

Welcome to Minnesota.

- Thank you.

- Thank you.

- We're having a blast.

- We are.

- Thank you, Susan.

Also in Minnesota, a family's been turning frigid temperatures into fun by making rainbow igloos.

You just got to see this.

Boyd Huppert has the story.

- [Boyd] On summer days, positive people make lemonade from lemons.

But these days.

- Minus 10.

- Neighborhoods need a Jessica Montenegro to make rainbows from ice.

- We've been loving the negative weather.

- [Boyd] Temperatures down and Jessica up to her neck in cold snap creativity.

- You just really have to pack it in there.

- An igloo also teaching lessons.

- [Jessica] You wanna come in here, guys?

- To Jessica's sons.

- We're trying to find some more icicles.

- Oh yeah, yeah.

Let's embrace every season.

Every temperature.

Here's some freezing here.

- [Boyd] Food coloring ice blocks made in cake pans.

- Open it up a little bit.

Voila.

- Mortar made in buckets.

- We have slush, yep.

- And magic made below zero.

- Probably two minutes to freeze, yeah.

- When it's all done, we're gonna eat pizza in it.

- We're gonna have the pizza delivery guy deliver it to the igloo - [Boyd] In summer, Jessica's known to her neighbors for elaborate driveway chalk murals.

- It's just an extension of sidewalk chalk basically, yeah.

- Makes the neighborhood a nice place to be.

- A ray of positivity.

- But least we have the sun.

- [Boyd] For Jessica Montenegro, even on the coldest of days, the pluses outweigh the minuses.

- I think it's gonna be really cool.

- Thanks, Boyd.

Well, if any of you try to make a rainbow igloo, send over your photos.

We'd love to take a look at those.

Wonder if bird watching, ice fishing, or igloo building we're on any of your list of what you've been doing to stay active during the pandemic and during the winter.

That's what we asked you about last week.

Let's look at the poll results before getting to your letters, though.

We told you that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends school-aged kids get one hour of moderate to vigorous activity every day.

Well 49% of you said you get more than an hour.

Well done guys.

I'm impressed.

Now let's see how you stay active by opening up our inbox.

Jillian from Dodge Intermediate in Twinsburg wrote, "Well before the pandemic, I played soccer.

I love soccer, but nowadays I've been dancing and practicing soccer with my little brother to keep active.

I can't wait to play soccer again when it's safe."

Sashi from Evening Street Elementary in Worthington uses some imagination to stay active.

"To stay active nowadays, I'm hanging out with my friends.

One of my friends has a forest in her backyard and we will explore back there.

We are making a Native American camp and we study the deer.

Another one of my friends has a creek in her backyard and we catch frogs and crawdads.

My other friend and I are creating a clubhouse in his backyard."

Lydia from Waterford Elementary in Waterford wrote, "Nowadays, I'm going outside and playing in the pine trees in the field behind our house.

The only downsides are getting pricked by a sharp needle or getting sap in your hair.

Other than that, it's the most fun thing I'm doing to stay active."

Lydia, I heard you can use peanut butter to get sap out of your hair or maybe that just works on bubblegum, I don't know.

Alyvia from Mansfield Seventh Day Adventist school in Mansfield has a playmate to keep her moving.

"I stay active by playing with my dog.

We play with her toys, run around our living room, and sometimes go on walks.

This is what I do to stay active."

And here's one from Madison at Redwood Elementary in Avon, "I would play in the snow with my friends because it takes some effort to run in the deep snow.

Another reason is if you are a building a snowman, you have to pick the heavy snow up and put it on the other ball.

Also because of the snow gear, if you fall, it can be hard to get up.

That's what I'm doing to stay active."

Thanks for those letters everybody.

Now, we also got a few letters from you about your return to school, and it certainly must be different wearing masks and keeping your social distance at school, but it's something kids across the globe are getting used to.

Let's head over to the Middle East.

Marhaba!

Welcome to the United Arab Emirates.

A country made up of seven states, each ruled by their own prince.

The federal capital is Abu Dhabi.

The country is a mix of humid coasts and inland deserts.

It is a huge producer petroleum.

Petroleum, which we also call crude oil, is a fossil fuel which is refined into gas to power vehicles and energy plants.

Nearly 10 million folks call the UAE home.

And that of course includes students like you.

They too are returning to school after staying home due to the pandemic.

Becky Anderson headed to Abu Dhabi for us, Becky?

- All right, welcome back, good morning!

- Go ahead and take, yeah.

- Welcome back, guys.

- Welcome, welcome.

- [Becky] It's an unusual first day back at school.

- Hey Park, are you moving in?

- Temperature checks.

- Authenticated.

- [Becky] Social distancing, mask wearing, and sanitation.

And here in Abu Dhabi, this is how schools are opening their doors once again.

- Authenticated.

- We were ecstatic when we found out that we would be able to bring students back on campus, but that brought with us a whole host of new rules and regulations and stipulations for our safety and for children's safety.

- [Becky] This is school, but not as we know it.

Extra curricular activities shut down, common areas all closed off.

And even how and where you walk around the campus is being controlled.

- One of the things that has really changed is that our hallways are one directional.

So we've had to put stickers down that first tell students how far apart they need to be, but also shows the direction in which they can travel.

So kids know which way they have to walk down hallways, which way they have to walk into their classrooms, and which way they exit out of their classrooms.

- [Becky] And those stickers, along with assigned seating, has helped the school's faculty ensure rigorous contact tracing when needed.

- We have actually had some kids that have come down with COVID.

We've had staff that have come down with COVID.

Within a matter of minutes, we have the ability to trace every classroom that child has been in and any potential students they have been in contact with.

With contact tracing, we've actually had very few people that have had to be put into quarantine because of that.

- [Becky] Although kids have the option to study at home, the majority of them at this school say they prefer to be in the classrooms.

- It feels really good to be back at school because I think I really missed the human connection.

- I definitely prefer in person school opposed to online school.

- I feel really fantastic finally being back in school.

I have not been in school for almost a year.

- [Becky] In addition to the safety protocols put in place, Flickinger says over 80% of the school staff has already been vaccinated against COVID-19.

And still, teachers and faculty are required to get COVID tested every two weeks.

And that has helped put some parents at ease.

- We're fortunate to be living in a country and in a city where the authorities have been ahead of the pandemic for the most part.

And that as a package, I think, is about as much comfort as a parent can get in the middle of a global pandemic.

- Refocus my approach- - But for other parents, they're still not satisfied.

- COVID, for us, has been a new revelation.

The rationale that we took as a family was from a security point of view.

We thought that it would be better Anushka to do home learning.

- Going back to school is something that's really amazing.

However, just meeting my friends during breaks and lunch and talking to them was I guess the best part of my day.

It was where I could like de-stress and not having that any more is a little, I guess, sad.

- [Becky] Schools may never go back to the way they used to be.

But at least here in Abu Dhabi, this school is confident they have what it takes to adapt to this new normal.

- Thanks, Becky.

Now we know some of you are back in the classroom, while others will be heading back fairly soon.

So for this week's write-in question, we want to know what advice would you give to students who are returning to school?

Besides students returning to school, there is more good news on the pandemic front.

We now have a third vaccine to use against the coronavirus.

The Johnson and Johnson shot was given the green light over the weekend.

The Food and Drug Administration gave the shot emergency use authorization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention approved it as well.

This vaccine uses different technology than the ones already in circulation by Pfizer and Moderna.

It only requires one jab, not two, and can be kept at regular refrigerator temperatures, making its distributional a whole lot less tricky.

In U.S., trials it's considered 72% effective with 86% protection against severe forms of COVID-19, not quite as high as Pfizer and Moderna, but still very good.

The more vaccines are available, the closer we get to returning to normal.

Well for a group of sixth grade students at St. Susanna school in Mason, what they've missed the most about not having a normal school year is participating in activities to help out others.

So our NewsDepth A+ winners, Henry Harting, Juliet Benick, Belle Heile, Emerson Moser, and Ben White turned to their teacher for advice.

"Henry and the others reached out to me and told me they needed to talk to me about something that was important," shared teacher Emily Rottinghause.

"I was worried something was wrong."

Happily, nothing was wrong.

The students wanted to share a great idea with Ms. Rottinghause.

"I felt bad that they were missing out on the student council and they proposed a few ideas that would allow them to do something good for our community, all while taking COVID-safe precautions," Ms. Rottinghause explained.

Henry, Juliet, Bella, Emerson, and Ben started a group called Operation Donation.

The main goal?

To coordinate fundraisers, food drives, and clothing donations that help children in need.

Their first project supported the school's service projects during Catholic Schools Week.

St. Susanna raised money, collected used t-shirts to recycle into reusable shopping bags, and made cards.

Operation donation made posters and flyers to hang throughout the school and created digital posters for Google Classroom to help teachers get the word out.

They set goals of collecting 650 cards and 650 shirts.

In only a week, their efforts led to the donation of more than $1,000, 663 t-shirts, and over 650 cards.

Not too shabby for a school of just 673 students, right?

Well, they're already working on their next two projects, collecting food for local pantries and raising money to buy a water source for a town in Uganda.

"Operation Donation would want all of you to know that it isn't about the donation you give, but the difference you make," Ms. Rottinghause told us.

Very wise words from the students at St. Susanna.

This week's NewsDepth A+ goes to Operation Donation for doing their part to help those in need.

Now, teachers feel free to send your A+ nominations to newsdepth@ideastream.org.

Believe it or not, we've only got a handful of episodes left for you to brag about the great work that your students are up to.

Well, now let's take a look at what great work News Cat's been up to.

It's time for Petting Zoo.

(cat meows) Hey News Cat.

A glass of cold milk?

Okay, good choice.

I love milk.

Ah.

There she goes.

Is it me or is she getting faster at typing?

Maybe it's the milk.

Oh, okay.

She's found a story about a sledding chicken.

What?

And she's named Donut?

Okay, to see this snow loving chick, click the Petting Zoo button on our website.

Thank you, News Cat.

And now, you know the drill, we want to hear from you.

And there are plenty of ways to stay in touch.

First off, you can write to us.

We're at 1375 Euclid Avenue.

That's Cleveland, Ohio.

Our zip code, 44115.

You can email us at newsdepth@ideastream.org or you can tweet us.

And our handle is at @NewsDepthOhio.

Plus, you can catch all of our special segments on YouTube, and if you're old enough, hit subscribe so you don't miss out on any of our newest videos.

Thank you for joining us.

I'm Rick Jackson.

We'll see you right back here next week.

(upbeat music) - [Child] "NewsDepth" is made possible by a grant from the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation.

(upbeat music)