By Emmy Powell
Communications Specialist

Volunteers spent a day learning about agriculture and preparing for the 2024 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo (HLSR) with the help of Texas Farm Bureau (TFB).

The 12th Annual HLSR Tours Committee Ag Education Day was held Jan. 20 to train volunteers to lead agricultural tours at the fair.

The HLSR Tours Committee is an education-based committee. The committee is responsible for giving agricultural tours around the fairgrounds to school kids, adults, international visitors and VIP guests during the fair.

The volunteers learned and discussed several topics throughout the day, receiving a crash course on agriculture.

“We discovered the Tours Committee members needed some training about the basics of agriculture. Some of the volunteers have an agricultural background, but most of them don’t,” Allen Kaminski, founding member of the Tours Committee and former TFB state director, said. “They want to be involved. They want to participate. They want to engage with visitors about agriculture, but they just need a little help.”

TFB and other groups gave presentations, demonstrations and answer questions about agriculture.

HLSR volunteers learn about agriculture at 12th annual education day Volunteers have been learning about agriculture and preparing for the 2024 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo (HLSR).

Volunteers learned about beef cattle, sheep and goats, bees, poultry, swine, and misconceptions of agriculture.

“The information they obtain during training is what they’re passing on to the patrons who come into the AGVENTURE exhibits and to the school kids. It’s valuable information,” Vinny Chavez, HLSR Tours Committee chair, said. “This can impact the kids who go through the tour. It can pique their interests in FFA, 4-H or getting involved in agriculture or inspire them to go to college and major in agriculture.”

In addition to TFB, several groups assist with the Ag Education Day, including Washington County Farm Bureau, Walker County Farm Bureau, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension and Blinn College.

TFB’s Doorways to Agriculture exhibit was also on display at the Ag Education Day to help volunteers dig into agricultural facts and information.

“We’re all there for the kids and to see the excitement on the kids’ face and the parents, too,” Chavez said. “It’s fun to bring agricultural information to everyone who visits the rodeo.”

The Tours Committee focuses on sharing the importance of agriculture in Texas’ economy through the AGVENTURE tours. Over 300,000 visitors walk through the exhibits each year. About 10,000 of those visitors are school kids on field trips, and the remaining consists of scheduled tours and fairgoers.

The 2024 HLSR is Feb. 27 through March 17.

To learn more, visit rodeohouston.com.

For more information about TFB’s agricultural education efforts, visit texasfarmbureau.org/aitc.

Learn more about agriculture’s youth activities and opportunities at texasfarmbureau.org/youth.