There are only 486 farms in Bullitt County according to the 2017 USDA Ag Census, a number that shrinks each year. As such, there are fewer and fewer opportunities for children in the county to gain perspective on the source of their food. To address the farm-to-food disconnect in April 2022, University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service in Bullitt County welcomed 125 students from Mount Washington Elementary for a day of hands-on learning at the 2022 Youth Farm Field Day. 

Students visited the Cooperative Extension Service office in Bullitt County where all the extension agents worked together to provide 6 learning stations in a rotation around the property. Students began the morning by reading through Before We Eat: From Farm to Table by Pat Brisson in the form of a StoryWalk^®. By dividing the pages into multiple stops along a path, the youth interacted with the book and their friends at their own pace, making initial discoveries about the production cycles of farms and food. 

The StoryWalk^® encouraging literacy, critical thinking, and physical activity featured the children's book, Before We Eat: From Farm to Table by Pat Brisson.

Students then visited learning stations that brought to life concepts presented in the picture book. At a station run by several Bullitt County Beekeepers’ Association volunteer members, students learned the basics of a Western honey bee’s lifecycle and how beekeepers produce honey that they find at farmers markets and the grocery store. Students were excited by the opportunity to learn how bees turn nectar and pollen in the flowers around them into a sweet treat. Students also expressed that they learned about pollination and how important managed honey bees and native pollinators are for food production. 

Students enjoyed peering inside a bee hive box to see the origins of honey.

Students progressed directly to the Bullitt County Cooperative Extension Service’s volunteer-managed demonstration orchard where the Horticulture Extension Agent and several volunteers reiterated the value of bees, while describing the lifecycle of an apple tree. Students were amazed to find the seeds inside the fruit and to learn that apples could grow right here in Bullitt County. 

The students moved on to a station taught by several members of the Bullitt Central High School FFA Chapter who supported through a collaboration with the Agriculture and Natural Resources Extension Agent. The students who were brave enough to share their favorite fruits and vegetables were then challenged to guess during which season their preferred food is grown. The FFA students helped the elementary students learn about the many miles most grocery store items travel and how eating locally can reduce the carbon footprint of their diet. They also visited the Bullitt County Cooperative Extension Services on-site demonstration greenhouse where the students learned about extending the growing season locally to help farmers produce more products throughout the year. After learning about the importance of eating locally, one student reported, “I want to eat less bananas and more watermelons because they can grow near my home!”

FFA members practiced public speaking and leadership development while teaching elementary students.

Warmed up in the greenhouse, students braved the cold April weather again to meet an actual local farmer from Bullitt County who brought a young beefalo bull. After learning about farmers all morning, the students were excited to talk to real farmer. They learned how beef is produced along with the many byproducts that come from cattle. The youth were thrilled with the knowledge that makeup, leather, crayons, and shampoo all contain products from the huge animal standing before them. The inquisitive youth peppered the farmer with questions, and he graciously answered even the more difficult questions. With verbal quizzing before and after, the students showed significant gain in their understanding of and appreciation for meat production. 

Students eagerly asked the local farmer all of their burning questions.

Finally, students were enthralled by the final stop where they learned about processing wheat and grains into flour and eventually bread. The Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) Extension Agent and an extension volunteer taught about the health differences in white and wheat bread, the other healthy grains that can be included to make bread, the role of and challenges that are associated with gluten, and where grains come from. After watching the FCS Agent grind wheat and explain what makes wheat bread healthy, one child reported, “When I go home, I’m going to ask my parents to buy wheat bread. Now I know why it’s brown: the bran and germ make it healthier than eating white bread.” With a show of hands at the beginning, most of students were unfamiliar with the concept that bread comes from farm products. After visiting this stop and the others, over 80% expressed newfound appreciation for Bullitt County farms and farmers and an increased awareness of the agricultural source of healthy foods.

After filling an electric mill with wheat, students were amazed to open it and find flour inside!

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