4-Her, Luke, showing 3rd grader how to pet a chicken
Contributed.
Ag’em Up, a two-day Agricultural Field Day Adventure for Bladen County 3rd graders, was held on October 10-11, 2023, at Bladen Community College. Ag ‘em Up occurs annually in Bladen County during October, which happens to be National Farm to School Month. This year Bladen County Cooperative Extension, Bladen County Farm Bureau, AgCarolina 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, Quality Farm Equipment, Bladen County Livestock Association, West Bladen High FFA, East Bladen High FFA, Bladenboro Middle FFA, Elizabethtown Middle FFA, and the Bladen County Board of Education worked together to create this annual opportunity to bring the schools 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, the number one industry in Bladen County, agriculture. Bladen County has a diverse agricultural economy, with the farm value of all commodities exceeding $515 million. Bladen County is ranked 4th in the state in total value of all agriculture.
Eight stations were manned by over 70 volunteers. The content of each station focused primarily on agriculture in the county, with one emphasizing the importance of a healthy lifestyle. Among the experiences, 3rd graders learned about field crops such as corn, cotton, peanuts, and soybeans. They also learned about swine, beef, goats, poultry, and cattle, how they are raised, the products that make up their feed, where they live, and who keeps them healthy. At the nutrition station, students learned the importance of physical activity and eating healthy foods along with the amount of added sugar that is within various sweetened drinks. They enjoyed a healthy snack. The students learned the importance of blueberries to Bladen County’s economy and about plant growth, different plant parts, and how each part is important in producing the food we eat at the horticulture station. At the beekeeping station, the students were introduced to the pivotal role of bees in making our fruits and vegetables grow, and the equipment beekeepers use to manage their bees. Students also learned how important technology is to farming and got to sit on a tractor at the tractor station. The soil and the environment station talked about different soil types and their impact on water infiltration. The hands-on activities incorporated at each station engaged the students to make the learning experience rich and fun.
Field days like Ag’em Up help our youth recognize and experience how closely each of our lives are 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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