4-H & YOUTH — 4th Graders Learn About “Farm to Fork” at Ag Festival

Extension Assistant Calvin DeVries (pictured at left) helped organize the Agricultural Literacy Festival. (Photo by Vicki Jedlicka, Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County)
Extension Assistant Calvin DeVries (pictured at left) helped organize the Agricultural Literacy Festival. (Photo by Vicki Jedlicka, Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County)

More than 600 fourth graders from nine schools in the Lincoln area attended the Agricultural Literacy Festival held April 2–4 at the Lancaster Event Center. Students gained a greater understanding of agriculture and how it impacts their daily lives. They rotated between the following ten interactive stations: Beef, Dairy, Swine, Sheep, Horse, Poultry, Corn & Soybeans, Water, Farm Technology and By-Products.

The Ag Literacy Coalition, led by Nebraska Extension, organizes the festival with the help of Lancaster County Farm Bureau and agriculture businesses, commodity associations and food industry companies. This is the 19th year the festival has been held in Lincoln.

Extension Assistant Calvin DeVries helped organize the festival. He says, “The Agricultural Literacy Festival in Lincoln is vital in exposing youth of Lancaster County to both livestock and crop production, which they may not encounter in a more urban setting. All who attended were able to see how our food comes from the farm and onto our plate!”

More photos are online at http://go.unl.edu/agliteracyfestival.