Agriculture Awareness
Author: Don Sorrell
Planning Unit: Campbell County CES
Major Program: Agriculture 4-H Core Curriculum
Plan of Work: Youth Agriculture Education
Outcome: Intermediate Outcome
Agriculture Awareness, especially for urban youth, has become a focus of the Campbell County Extension Service and agriculture leadership groups such as the Campbell County Agriculture Council and the Campbell County Farmland Workgroup. The following are agriculture awareness programs that have been conducted/introduced into Campbell County Schools.
- Newport High School 4-H Horse Club - After a very successful 2017 Farm to Table program at this inner city school, a decision was made to offer a horse program to this same school during the fall of 2018. Fourteen students participated in this program that was coordinated by Claire Linepensel, 4-H program assistant and Don Sorrell, ANR agent. The Horse Club met after school on Wednesdays. This program included two horse farm tours and classroom education (hands-on) focusing on horse topics such as breeds of horses and what horses eat. We finished this program with an all day trip to the KY Horse Park where students had the opportunity to see the best that KY offers in equine education. Of the 14 students 11 had never ridden a horse and some had never touched a horse. During this program all but one student rode a horse.
- Brighton Center (Newport)Youth Leadership Program - This is the second year that the Extension Service has worked with Brighton Center (social service agency) with their Youth Leadership Program. This year the ANR agent coordinated two all day farm tours that allowed four local farmers the opportunity to showcase their farms while discuss their leadership role with their agriculture business and in their farming community. This program was attended by 12 inner city youth.
- Every five year the Campbell County Farmland Workgroup host a Farm to Fork program. This years Farm to fork program was at the Neltner Farm. 127 attend this program which brings local, state and national government leaders, (Rep. Thomas Massie attended and spoke this year)) business owners, city mayors and administrators and farm leaders to a meal (Campbell County KY Proud) and a program that focus on the importance of local agriculture and connecting agriculture and the urban community. I was in charge of the guest speaker this year and chose Mr. Warren Beeler. This Farm to Fork program helps to build a stronger relationship between local agriculture leaders and government officials and business leaders.
- Over 80% of the Campbell County High School FFA program have no farming experience. To provide students with the opportunity to experience life on the farm, the Extension Service and the Conservation District started a SAE (Supervised Agriculture Experience) program. Sixteen students have chosen to spend 20 hours (many spend a lot more) a school year with a specific farm or agriculture business. During their time with local farmers, students have the opportunity to participate in hands-on activities such as planting and harvesting vegetables, horse management, veterinarian practices, animal health care programs and farm business projects.
- 638 - 5th grade students and approximately 110 adults participated in the annual (27th year) agriculture awareness program called Grow it, Eat It, Wear It. Students went through a series of six hands-on programs that focus on beef/dairy, bees, fish, fruits/vegetables, horses and sheep/cotton.