What could be more fun for students than spending a day experiencing Ag in the Classroom activities? During the Annual Union County Farm Day on October 27, the Farm Bureau brought farm lessons to the students at Sharps Chapel Elementary.
About 8:30 a.m., the children eagerly bounced out to the greenspace by the playground to tour the ten farm and agriculture exhibits brought to the school by dedicated volunteers and organizations. Sporting their cute little plaid flannels, overalls, cowboy hats and boots, the 135 youths showed excitement with smiles and questions.
Union County Farm Bureau representatives Ava Padgett, Cody Brown and Ashley Mike welcomed the students and teachers and distributed teaching packets, fun activities, bracelets, literature, magnets and many more educational resources to each student and teacher.
Sandra Greene of Union County Soil and Water Conservation District displayed beautiful items with her theme Reduce, Recycle, Reuse and Repurpose. She emphasized how waste and litter affect our land and resources and simple ways to help reduce that impact, starting small.
Jimmy Perrin brought his horse, Cody, and 4-H member Natalie Graves educated on general horse knowledge and ways they are used on farms, and the importance of maintenance and care for the animals.
4-H member Travis Hanna held the hands-on exhibit with chickens and tractors. He let all the students that were willing hold one of his white leghorn laying hens. Here, they also had the opportunity to sit on Sharps Chapel farmer Jerry Lynn Walker’s tractor for a quick photo.
An oversized Smokey Bear greeted the kids at the Tennessee Department of Forestry booth. Representatives Jason Brantley, Keith Stiner, Seth Moyers and Andrew Farmer taught about fire prevention and awareness, and displayed a bulldozer for great conversation.
Shannon DeWitt of UT Extension and 4-H, with help from cute sidekick Henley DeWitt, balanced the 4-H booths and volunteers to successfully advocate for youth educating youth.
Navada Tipton and Ben Woods educated about corn and the extensive use of the agriculture project and its importance to the world.
Kaleb Hanna brought honey bee educator hives and equipment to teach about honey bees and pollinators.
Trent Jones rode his horse, Yeller, and talked about roping tactics with assistance and demonstrations with cousin Jake Jones. Next to them, 4-H member Zeeva Boucher brought her rabbit for petting and taught about care and needs for her.
Overall, the students and teachers, as well as the many volunteers, showed their excitement and gratitude with the day’s turnout.
Farm Bureau sends a sincere thanks to the valued volunteers who dedicate their time and recognize the extreme importance of educating our youths and future agriculture and world leaders about farming and agriculture in our community and the world; for without this bridge, there could be a detrimental gap in the ag knowledge instilled in the minds and hearts of today’s youths.