With less than 1% of the population involved in agriculture, it seems there is an increase in the amount of misinformation spread about farming and farm practices. In Madison County, there are many farmers and entities that support agriculture that are itching for an opportunity to teach others about agriculture. There are also 10 public elementary schools, 3 private elementary schools, and countless homeschool families that have not been engaging in as many field trips due to COVID. Speaking of the pandemic, Madison County had held farm field day several years ago prior to COVID, but with the current state it seemed like the right time to start again! 

The 2022 Madison County 4-H Farm Field Day was held September 6th and 7th this year at the Madison County Fairgrounds! I am not sure who to be more impressed with-- the volunteers or the students! All of the 3rd graders in the county, (public, private, or homeschooled) were invited to participate in Farm Field Day! We had almost 850 youth who attended and they were so respectful! They rotated through 16 stations provided by Berea College, EKU Agriculture, Madison County Farm Bureau, Madison County Soil Conservation District, Madison Central FFA, and the Southland Dairy Mobile Classroom. Not to mention the entities closer to the heart of extension, like the 4-H Rabbit Club, 4-H Saddle Club, and 4-H Livestock Skillathon team who all set up stations. The Madison County Agriculture and Natural Resources Agent, the Horticulture Agent, and the Family and Consumer Sciences team also provided stations for the youth. 

Feedback from the event has been positive so far! Volunteers were very impressed with how respectful the youth were. Teachers were impressed by the variety in the stations and the knowledge of agriculture the youth gained. As a 4-H Agent, I was very impressed with the way all of the volunteers came together to reach a common goal of educating youth! Overall for next year I think we will plan to host the program again base don the positive feedback!