Area Third Grade Students Get Time On The Farm

Third grade students from around the county got a chance to see and learn more about the farm, with some help from the Mahaska County Farm Bureau and the Mahaska County Cattlemen.

Third grade students from around the county got a chance to see and learn more about the farm, with some help from the Mahaska County Farm Bureau and the Mahaska County Cattlemen.

Oskaloosa, Iowa – One may not think that a rural Iowa school would need to take part in an AG day on the farm, but in today’s world, less students live on farms than ever before.

Learning about where your food and the clothes you are wearing comes from is an important part of Karen Adams job with 3rd graders around the county.

This was the 6th year for the ag day, in which students from Oskaloosa, North Mahaska, Peoria Christian, and Oskaloosa Christian 3rd grade classes had the opportunity to explore 16 different stations at the farm. Sheering sheep to learning about money management were all part of the day.

At one station they taught farm safety, while at another the American Honey Queen, Gabrielle Hemesath of Iowa, talked with students about the importance bees play on the farm.

Adams says that she sees the 250 students all through the year with her Ag In The Classroom program, which is sponsored by the Mahaska County Farm Bureau. With the volunteers and school personnel, it ends up being nearly 375 people at the farm that the local Farm Bureau and Mahaska County Cattlemen feed for lunch.

The inspiration for the farm visit came from Adams’ other visits in other communities and their AG days. She used those experiences to help start the one in Mahaska County. “The inspiration is, I see these kids all year long, once a month. We start out in the fall and we bring a combine out from an implement dealer, and then this is a great ending to the year,” says Adams.

Adams says there is one more day in the classroom during May, when she talks about “How dirt made our lunch” and AG Day.

That growing trend of less family farms means there are less students growing up with that background. “We have so many that are so removed from the farm now,” says Adams. “They are meeting farmers today and asking great questions.”

Adams says when the year starts, she always asks the 3rd grade students where their food comes from. During that discussion, Adams helps trace the roots of everyday food, clothing and other items back to the farm.

Posted by on Apr 19 2015. Filed under Local News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.

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