[MARCH 31, 2006] Fourth-graders from 12 Logan County schools
celebrated National Ag Day on Thursday.
Logan County Farm
Bureau members hosted over 230 students and 16 teachers at the
sixth annual Logan County Ag Education Day. The event was at the
Laughlin Center on the Lincoln Christian College campus.
Students and teachers were welcomed to agriculture through five
"hands-on" stations, featuring soybeans, corn, dairy, hogs and
machinery.
Logan County Farm Bureau Women's Committee members hosted the
soybean station, where students learned about products that are
made from soybeans. The fourth-graders played "soy bingo" and
taste-tested a buttery spread made from soybeans. Committee
members also talked to the students about "look-alike" poisons
that can be found in the home.
FFA members were on hand to offer demonstrations. Hartsburg-Emden
FFA members discussed farm machinery safety with the
fourth-graders and then took them outside to view and sit in the
tractor, combine and machinery provided by Central Illinois Ag,
Cross Implement and Rohlfs Implement.
Mount Pulaski FFA members hosted the corn station, where
students made colorful, biodegradable plastic. Mixing corn
starch, water, corn oil, food coloring and then microwaving,
students were able to see the possibilities of plastics from
corn. Grocery products containing corn were also on display.
Lincoln FFA members talked about dairy facts with the
fourth-graders as they made an ice cream shake-up.
Steve Irwin of Beason had his dairy calf on hand for the students
to view and pet. They also could place their thumbs in the electric
milker to experience just how the cow feels when milked!
Students visiting the hog station were treated to filling "feed
bags" with candies representing corn, vitamins, minerals and protein
required to feed and grow healthy hogs for today's consumers. Vicki
Huelskoetter and Kent Paulus explained how pigs grow and had baby
pigs on hand for the fourth-graders to pet and hold. Students
stopping by the hog station were also treated to taste-testing "pork
sausages."
The closing segment of the sessions featured live sheep. Steve
Schreiner, a Logan County Farm Bureau board member, talked with the
students about raising sheep and then answered questions.
Schools participating in this year's Ag Ed Day were Carroll
Catholic, Central School, Chester-East Lincoln, Hartsburg-Emden, New
Holland-Middletown, Northwest, Mount Pulaski, Washington-Monroe,
West Lincoln-Broadwell, Zion Lutheran in Lincoln and Zion Lutheran
from Mount Pulaski.
Students and teachers were given take-home packets that included
agricultural-related items.
Ag Ed Day participants were invited to enter the "Celebration of
Agriculture" essay contest. Essays entitled "What Agriculture Means
to Me" will be judged by Lincoln Community High School English class
members, under the direction of Mr. Ed Jodlowski. Trophies will be
awarded for the top five essays.
