By Emmy Powell
Communications Specialist

Wharton County Farm Bureau once again shared agricultural information with elementary students in the community through its annual ag day.

This year marks the silver anniversary for the event that has reached more than 10,000 students over the years.

“Ag day promotes agriculture within our county and teaches all the fourth graders about where their food and fiber come from,” Penny Kmiec, Wharton County Farm Bureau secretary who has helped planned the event each year, said. “This is one of my favorite events that Farm Bureau hosts. The children love it.”

The ag day brings the students outside of their classrooms, allowing them to learn about agriculture in a hands-on way.

“The teachers and kids say it’s the best field trip they go on,” Kmiec said. “They learn so much that they can’t learn in their classroom setting. They come out and get a close view of agriculture in our community.”

The two-day event included presentations on rice, beef, horticulture, wildlife, swine, poultry, farm technology and more.

This year, 573 fourth-grade students from five schools in Wharton County attended the event.

“The students learn everything about agriculture in Wharton County. We even had an aquaculture presentation this year,” Michael Popp, Wharton County Farm Bureau board member, said. “It’s a hands-on event for the kids.”

Wharton County Farm Bureau strives to help bridge the gap between farmers and consumers in the county.

“Even though Wharton County has a lot of agricultural production, there are still so many kids who have never been exposed to agriculture,” Popp said. “Everything that we do, it affects all these kids’ lives, and they need to know that the food is not just in the grocery store. We help them understand there’s a lot of hard work that goes into producing food and fiber.”

Wharton County Farm Bureau also shows the students that farmers have adopted current technology to help increase their efficiency.

“There is often a disconnect between kids and where their food comes from. It creates a fun learning environment for the kids and is a great opportunity for farmers, ranchers and agriculturalists to tell their story,” Michelle Frankum, Wharton County Farm Bureau board member, said. “Our board tries to keep the stations current with agricultural practices showcasing new technologies such as drones and helicopters. Teaching the next generation about the importance of agriculture will hopefully pay dividends by understanding the value of keeping land in production and the security of our food supply.”

Wharton County Farm Bureau celebrated 25 years of ag days. The county organization has reached over 10,000 students since they started hosting the event.