Campbell County, Kentucky was once known for the numerous dairy cattle farms and rural living. In recent years, the economy has grown and so has the population causing the number of farms to decrease as they are developed into residential areas. One consequence of this growth and development is the number of citizens that reside in urban communities and are separated from the rural part of the county. This separation has led to a lack of understanding about agriculture and how important it is in so many ways on a daily basis. In response to this ever-increasing challenge, Campbell County Extension hosted the Grow it, Eat it, Wear it program for 5^th grade students at the Alexandria Fairgrounds. The Agriculture, Horticulture and 4H agents collaborated with Wright Implement, the Alexandria Fair board, the Campbell County Farm Bureau, FFA, the Campbell County Cattleman’s Association, Northern Kentucky Beekeepers Association, KSU Aquaculture Program, Northern Kentucky Horse Network and 4H Horse and Sheep Project Leaders to host the 5^th graders for the week and offer classes like: From Moo to You (dairy and beef cattle), Grow it and Wear it (sheep), Horsepower (horses and tractor), Pollinating with Bees, Let’s Go Fishing, What Came First, Chicken or the Egg and Growing a Pizza Garden. 524 youth and 67 adults from 11 county schools attended this educational program. The Agriculture Agent coordinated the tractor from Wright Implement so the students had an opportunity to “Touch a Tractor”, coordinated a beef cow and calf and a dairy cow and calf so the students were able to touch and milk a cow. None of the students had seen a dairy cow before, much less milk one! The Agriculture agent also brought chickens so the students could see and touch a live chicken and some even got to see them lay an egg. In addition to the visuals, the Ag agent taught the “From Moo to You” station with the Cattleman’s Association by coordinating a “Minute to Win it” game where the students had to sort food and every day products into the appropriate bins (plant, dairy, beef). Only one student knew the difference between butter and margarine and that margarine was not a product made from milk. The students and teachers learned the byproducts that come from beef and dairy cattle, the lifecycle and science of ruminants. One adult chaperone asked, “Do vegans know that make-up is made from fat from beef cattle!?” The participants didn’t just learn where their food comes from but also how many ways agriculture is connected to everything they do, every day.

On written evaluations, teacher comments included:  

-“Love this program.”  “My students said it was the best field trip they’ve ever been on!”,  

-“Great hands on activities that increased student learning and fun!”

-“My students were so excited and engaged the whole time.”

-“Great science and history connections with life cycles, importance of pollination, Native American use of horses, Spanish explorers bringing horses, Pony Express and use of miniature horses in coal mines.”

-“NGSS standards were met in Science, Social Studies & Economics.”

-“Directly ties to and promotes Kentucky Academic Social Studies and NGSS Standards.”

-“Students were very engaged and exposed to information they would not have gotten without this program!”