By Emmy Powell
Communications Specialist

Brazoria-Galveston County Farm Bureau hosted about 100 fourth graders on an agricultural field trip.

The field trip allowed students, five teachers and several parents to visit Damon Farm & Ranch and Needville Gin Company. The trip was organized by Brazoria-Galveston County Farm Bureau Ag Program Coordinator Deana Fuchs.

“We stopped at Damon Farm & Ranch in Damon. One bus went to the feed store, and then the other bus went to the gin,” Fuchs said. “Next to the gin is an equipment yard that has cotton pickers, planters and different equipment. One of our board members, AJ Mikel, talked about and showed them all of the equipment.”

One group was led by Fuchs and the other was led by her father Donald Fuchs.

She said this was the first field trip of, hopefully, many. Fuchs has been visiting West Columbia Elementary and teaches the children about agriculture.

“The last several years, I have been doing classes with the entire fourth grade,” she said. “I visit every couple of weeks and do a different activity with them around agriculture.”

Prior to the field trip, Fuchs prepared the students.

“I visited with them about what agriculture is and got their feedback,” Fuchs said. “I showed them a video about harvesting cotton, so they knew what happened before going to the gin. This helped them understand what they were going to see at the gin and what happens prior to that.”

Fuchs emphasized how important it is for children to have these experiences.

“At the feed store, they talked about how they mix feed and how they can meet special needs for any animal,” she said. “They saw and learned about different careers in agriculture.”

Visiting the gin and feed store helped children understand how many career paths are available within agriculture.

“Kids’ minds just go to being a farmer, rancher or veterinarian. But when they went to the feed store and gin, they saw that there’s people who support the farmers,” Fuchs said. “It’s a very important part of the industry. They learn that there’s a lot of careers, and they see how high- tech the equipment is.”

Fuchs and Brazoria-Galveston County Farm Bureau hope to plan more field trips and include more schools.

“I hope the kids understand how important agriculture is to them,” she said. “That everything they eat and just about every item that they touch every day starts on a farm. That the need for agriculture isn’t decreasing, it’s increasing. Many people are disconnected in this age and time. We must always be looking for ways to connect kids and adults. Many people are disconnected from agriculture, even when you think they shouldn’t be.”