212 fourth graders from schools in and around my hometown of Mitchell, S.D. enjoyed an educational day out at the Davison Country 4-H grounds on Tuesday. At the 2009 Mitchell Ag in the Classroom event, there were eight educational stops along the way. First, the fourth graders heard a speech by Central Electric about electrical line safety and how to react in case of a fallen power line or how to avoid lines when flying a kite. The second stop led the students to the farm safety station. A local 4-Her worked with the students to identify all of the dangerous things on a farm and how to evade getting hurt when around farm machinery and animals. Station three was a horse demonstration in which 4-H students discussed the proper care of a horse, how to shoe a horse and the anatomy of the animal.

The dairy industry was the topic of the fourth station, and students drank free milk samples as they learned about different milking machines, parlors, pasteurization and nutritional facts of dairy products. Station five was hosted by a local hog farmer who played a video on how hog confinement barns play a positive role in pig safety and the environment hosted the fifth stop. Where bacon, sausage and ham come from on a pig was also explained to the students. The sixth station answered questions about the beef industry, and a day-old baby calf was there for the students to pet. Switching gears from farm animals, the National Resources Conservation Service explained the importance of topsoil at station seven. Students crawled through a dirt tunnel and were given a gummy worm at the end of this interactive stop. Finally, station eight explained the importance of honeybees in South Dakota’s agriculture.

Without a doubt, Ag in the Classroom is a great way to tell the agriculture story to a young group of students. In a time where the media, consumers and animal rights activists are constantly exchanging false information about food production, this is an excellent program to educate the next generation of consumers. For more information about Ag in the Classroom head to their website.