Ag’em Up Days, a two day Agricultural Field Day Adventure for Bladen County 3rd graders, was held on October 11th and 12th, 2022 at Bladen County Community College. This year Bladen County Cooperative Extension, Bladen County Farm Bureau, Cape Fear Farm Credit, Bladen Community College, Four County Electric, Bladen Soil and Water Conservation District, Farm Service Agency, Smithfield Hog Production, Prestage Farms, Bladen County Farm Bureau Women’s Committee, Representative William and Mrs. Brenda Brisson, Southeast Farm Equipment, Bladen County Livestock Association, West Bladen High School FFA, Bladenboro Middle School FFA and the Bladen County Board of Education worked together to create this annual opportunity to bring the School to the Farm, demonstrating the importance of agriculture to the students.
More than 400 third grade students, their teachers and parents took a closer look and experienced first-hand agriculture – the number one industry in Bladen County. Bladen County has a diverse agricultural economy with the farm value of all commodities exceeding $373 million. Bladen County is ranked 5th in the state in total value of all agriculture and 4th in the state for value of livestock, dairy and poultry.
Eight specialized stations, manned by over 70 volunteers, comprise this farm field day event. The content of each station focused primarily on agriculture in the county, but one experience emphasized the importance of a healthy lifestyle. Among the topics and experiences, the 3rd graders learned about field crops, swine, beef, goats, poultry, horticulture, beekeeping, soils and the environment, tractors and technology, and the nutrition of our food. Hands-on activities engaged the students to make the learning experience rich and fun.
More specifically, at the agricultural stations, students learned about corn, cotton, peanuts, and soybeans. The students learned how pigs, poultry, goats, and cattle are raised, the products that make up their feed, where they live, and who keeps them healthy. At the nutrition station, students learned about the importance of eating healthy foods and the amount of added sugar that is within various sweetened drinks. They also enjoyed a healthy snack and learned about the importance of physical activity. The students learned about plant growth and the different plant parts and how each part is important in producing the food we eat at the horticulture station along with the importance of blueberries to Bladen County’s economy. At the beekeeping station, the students were introduced to the importance of bees to making our fruits and vegetables grow and they saw the equipment it takes to become a beekeeper. At the tractor station, students learned how important technology is to farming and got to sit on a tractor.
Ag ‘em Up Days occurs annually in Bladen County during October, which happens to be National Farm to School Month. Field days like Ag’em Up help our youth recognize and experience how closely each of our lives is touched by farming and agriculture. It is not just a part of our history in Bladen County – it is critical today that we celebrate these connections to local food sources.
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