Monday, March 28, 2011
 
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Logan County Ag Education Day Wednesday

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[March 28, 2011]  Fourth-graders from Logan County schools will celebrate National Ag Day on Wednesday. Students and teachers will be welcomed to agriculture through five "hands-on" stations that will feature soybeans, corn, dairy, hogs and machinery.

The Logan County Farm Bureau, Lincoln Area Y and Logan County FFA members will host over 240 students and 15 teachers at the ninth annual event, presented at the Y Activity Center, 719 Wyatt Ave. in Lincoln.

Schools participating in this year's Ag Ed Day are Carroll Catholic, Central, Chester-East Lincoln, Hartsburg-Emden, Mount Pulaski, Northwest, Washington-Monroe, West Lincoln-Broadwell and Zion Lincoln.

"A Celebration of Agriculture"

Wednesday, March 30
9-11:30 a.m.
Noon-2:30 p.m.

Lincoln Area Y Activity Center
719 Wyatt Ave.

Sponsored by:
Logan County Farm Bureau
Lincoln Area Y
Hartsburg-Emden FFA, Lincoln FFA, Mount Pulaski FFA

Farm Bureau members and Y personnel will host and help staff the soybean station, where the fourth-graders will learn about soybeans and products that are made from soybeans. The students will conclude their soybean learning session by playing "Soy Bingo."

FFA members will be on hand to offer several demonstrations.

Hartsburg-Emden FFA members will discuss farm machinery safety with the students, explain a PTO safety exhibit and then escort them outside to view and sit in a combine, provided by Central Illinois Ag of Atlanta, and a tractor and planter, courtesy of Cross Brothers in New Holland, Mount Pulaski and Clinton.

Mount Pulaski FFA members will host the corn station, where the students will make colorful, biodegradable plastic. By mixing and microwaving corn starch, water, corn oil and food coloring, students will be able to see the possibilities of plastics from corn. Students will also learn from Logan County Farm Bureau director-farmers what goes into producing a corn crop and how corn is used in products we use daily. Grocery products containing corn will be on display.

Lincoln FFA members will talk dairy facts with the students as they make an ice cream shake-up.

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Steve Irwin of Beason will have his dairy calf on hand for the students to view and pet. He will present dairy farming information to the students and answer questions.

Students visiting the hog station will be treated to filling "feed bags" with candies representing corn, vitamins, minerals and protein required to feed and grow healthy hogs for today's consumers. Farm Bureau volunteers will explain how pigs grow and will have baby pigs on hand for the fourth-graders to pet and hold. As the students stop by the hog station, they will also be treated to taste-testing "pork sausages."

Students and teachers will be given take-home packets that include six different Ag Mags, provided by Farm Bureau's Illinois Agricultural Education in the Classroom, and several other agricultural-related items.

Ag Ed Day participants are invited to enter the "Celebration of Agriculture" essay contest after they attend the Ag Ed Day. Essays entitled "Agriculture Is Amazing" will be judged, and trophies will be awarded for the top five essays.

[Text from file received from Vicki Huelskoetter]

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