COLERIDGE, NEB. –Fifth graders from six schools in Northeast Nebraska explored the many facets of agriculture during the seventh annual Growing Potential Agriculture Festival in Coleridge, Neb. on Sept 7.
From corn to cows and everything in between, 220 students interacted with producers to learn about where their food, fiber, and energy come from. The annual festival is hosted by the Nebraska Farm Bureau Foundation and the Northeast Nebraska Corn Growers to promote agricultural literacy.
Taylor Nelson, vice president of the Northeast Nebraska Corn Growers, helped lead the charge to organize the event, stressing the importance of exposing kids to agriculture.
“We want to build a foundation of agricultural literacy that is hands-on, positive, and interactive, so as students hear, think, and learn about different things moving forward, they can look back and think about this experience and build on it,” said Nelson.
Students rotated through nine stations throughout the day, exploring planting, agricultural technology, ethanol, egg production, irrigation, agronomy, beef cows, harvest, and careers in agriculture. Teachers were excited to have their students learn as they experienced agriculture hands-on. Fifth grade teacher at Holy Trinity Elementary in Hartington, Neb., Sierra Beckman, loved watching connections between agriculture and their lives form for her students.
“My students were fascinated to learn how all of the different parts of the cow can be used for all types of different things: glue, pasta, clothing,” said Beckman. “It was very shocking for them to see how one thing can turn into so many products.”
Schools from across Northeast Nebraska attended the event including St. Mary’s School (Wayne), Laurel-Concord-Coleridge Middle School, Wayne Elementary, Holy Trinity Elementary (Hartington), Wisner-Pilger Elementary, and Wakefield Community Schools.
The surrounding community sees great value in students engaging with agriculture. In addition to Nebraska Farm Bureau Foundation and Northeast Nebraska Corn Growers hosting the event, several companies also sponsored the festival. Big Iron, Grossenburg Implement, Titan Machinery, Allegient, Axis Seed, Becks, Channel, Croplan, Dekalb, CHECK, Dynagrow, Golden Harvest, Hefty, Hoegemeyer, Pioneer, and Wyffels served as sponsors for the event, ensuring it was free for all students to attend.
The mission of the Nebraska Farm Bureau Foundation is to engage youth, educators, and the general public to promote an understanding of the vital importance of agriculture in the lives of all Nebraskans. The Nebraska Farm Bureau Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. For more information about the Nebraska Farm Bureau Foundation, visit www.nefbfoundation.org.
