Students listen as a volunteer discusses raising goats during the annual Ag Days event held Tuesday and Wednesday at the Johnson County fairgrounds. Organized by Purdue Extension Johnson County, the event brings more than 550 fourth-graders together to learn about all things agriculture.
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More than 550 fourth-grade students from around the county came to the Johnson County fairgrounds this week to learn about all things agricultural during the annual Ag Days celebration.
Rotating through a series of stations, they learned about beef, dairy, goats, sheep and swine. The children had the chance to discover about farm equipment, raising grain and fruit, beekeeping and more. Organized by Purdue Extension Johnson County, in partnership with local farmers, volunteers and sponsors, the event was designed to give young people a better understanding of where our food comes from and how farms work.
We are very grateful to all volunteers and sponsors that make these 2 days possible!
The Purdue Extension office coordinates this program each year to provide relevant agriculture education to youth.
“Many people are removed from farming these days so it is nice for anyone to learn more about how their life is tied to agriculture,” said Sarah Hanson, county extension educator. “Food is the obvious topic, but while at Ag Days, students learn about other topics too. Many by-products of agricultural production go into everyday products like crayons, makeup, adhesives and more.
“All of these students will grow up to buy groceries one day as well. We want consumers to have information about how food is produced.”
Each of the 11 participating schools are sent home with a box of resources for the classroom, so teachers can keep educating their students about agriculture beyond the two hours spent at the fairgrounds, Hanson said.
“We also hope that Ag Days can inspire some of the students to want to learn more about farming. There are many great careers in the agriculture world,” she said.
