Members of the Oklahoma Farm Bureau Women’s Leadership Committee shared the farm and ranch story with third- and fourth-grade students during Super Ag Day held May 6 and 7 in Oklahoma City.
The WLC members used the Oklahoma Farming and Ranching Foundation’s commodity trailer to share with students how food gets from the field to consumers’ tables. Another station hosted by the women used American Farm Bureau’s My American Farm program to play interactive games with students about farm-related topics.
The event, a combined effort between Oklahoma County Extension, Ag in the Classroom, Oklahoma City Public Schools and other groups, was held at the state fairgrounds in OKC. Approximately 800 students from the Oklahoma City Public School system, as well as students from schools in Cleveland and Canadian Counties, rotated through five stations filled with farm and food information.
Roberta Hughes, WLC vice chairman from Konawa, OK, said the students were engaged and interested in learning about farming and agriculture.
“I told them a little bit today what would happen if the store shelves were empty, and that their food actually comes from farmers here locally and across America,” Hughes said. “And that’s our mission: to inform city children where their food comes from.”
The third- and fourth-graders learned about many aspects of agriculture, including vegetable production, the many uses of soybeans, showing livestock, and the usefulness of goats.
“I’m going to teach them about all the products that we can make, and about the goats,” said Addison Schmidt, a 10-year-old who shared her experience raising goats on her family’s farm.
The OKFB women donated two bicycles that were given away to one lucky student each day through a drawing. Winning a bicycle and a helmet were Mariano from Heronville School and Emmanuel from Parmelee Elementary. OKFB’s Safety Services Director Todd Honer gave a bike safety presentation to the full group before each bike was given away.
