AG Day
 | Author:
Mikayla Kraft, School Correspondent
MT43 News School Correspondent |
Ag Day Mikayla Kraft School Correspondent Agriculture is essential not only to adults who care about food security, the economy, and our country as a whole but also the children. There are children across the country who sincerely believe that their food comes from the grocery store and not from the cows, pigs, sheep, and chickens on the farm or at a ranch. There are those who strongly believe that plant-based meat is real meat.
The people in the community who put on Ag Day take time out of their busy schedules to teach Kindergartener through 5th-grade students about agriculture and everything surrounding it. This year, ag supporters such as Montana Farmers Union, 4H, Broadwater CattleWomen, FFA, FCCLA, Vigilante Electric, and those advocating for motor vehicle safety contributed to the agricultural education issued to the children in our community.
This year, the favorites included Montana Farmers Union, Vigilante Electric, Dairy, Forging, and Ms. Last Chance Rodeo. Throughout the entirety of the day, stations focused on hands-on experience to get the students actively learning through an activity and/or an experience that not many kids get to say they have done.
In the Montana Farmers Union station, strawberries were put in a bag and mashed up as best as they could. The students made a solution with soap, salt, and water in a separate container. The student poured about half of the mixture in with the strawberries and mixed it around. They filtered it and poured rubbing alcohol in with the strawberries. Once there was some white residue that showed, the students knew they had found strawberry DNA.
Vigilante Electric stressed the importance to be safe around power lines just as Louie the Lightning Bug did for so many children in the 1980-1990 time frame. Vigilante Electric showed its safety gear and tools and used many fruits and a hot dog to demonstrate the dangers of a power line. They even showed the kids what would happen if a tree were to touch a powerline.
Forging was put on by Lane Santi of Broadwater FFA. Lane taught the students how to start a forge. He heated the metal and showed the kids how to make a stake and also mixed in a demonstration about brands. The students then got to make their own “forging masterpiece” with playdoh.
As president of Broadwater FFA, I led the dairy station. I taught students about dairy products and the different types of dairy cattle. I also explained how I milk my cows and the importance of keeping everything sanitized. The students had a chance to earn candy with a pop quiz at the end and they had the chance to pet my jersey.
Ms. Last Chance Rodeo put on an interesting station. The students learned a barrel racing pattern to grow their interest in rodeo.
Ag Day has been a fan favorite for the longest time. Former students have returned to the school and have visited with many Ag Day contributors and continue to tell how impactful the day was to them as children and as adults.
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PhotoCredit: Mikayla Kraft
Image 1 Caption: Students gather around the dairy station to learn more about dairy cows vs. beef cows. Photo Credit: Mikayla Kraft
