Third Grade Ag Day Makes The Farm Real For Area Students

Carter, from the Oskaloosa School District takes an opportunity to hold a 5-day-old piglet as part of Ag Day at the Southern Iowa Fairgrounds on Friday.

Carter, from the Oskaloosa School District, takes an opportunity to hold a 5-day-old piglet as part of Ag Day at the Southern Iowa Fairgrounds on Friday.

Oskaloosa, Iowa – The third-grade community in Mahaska County enjoyed their annual Ag Day, which was held this year on the grounds of the Southern Iowa Fair.

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 7th year for the Ag Day, in which 3rd grade students from Oskaloosa, North Mahaska, Peoria Christian, and Oskaloosa Christian have an opportunity to explore different stations that help them better understand how agriculture impacts their everyday lives.

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.

The inspiration for the farm visit came from Adams’ visits to 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 18 2016. 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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