Give 1,000 third graders a taste of farm life, and watch learning happen

Sarala Ryherd, a third grader in a straw farm hat from Palmetto Charter School, liked seeing a live cow and enjoyed the opportunity to shake cream into butter.

She was one of 1,000 third graders from Manatee County schools who came away from Ag Venture on Thursday with a better understanding of what happens on the farm.

With “Old McDonald Had a Farm” playing on the public address system at the Manatee County Fair Grounds, the third grade classes rotated among presentation areas, ranging from poultry to beef, from aquaculture to beekeeping, and from forestry to tomatoes.

“This is what it is all about. It is fun and it is learning,” said Julie Tillett, the FFA advisor at Palmetto High School who has worked with Ag Venture for nine years.

What does she like most about the event?

“The ah-ha moment when a child’s face lights when they find a shark’s tooth at Mosaic fertilizer, or they touch a baby goat, or when they see how forestry works,” Tillett said. “It’s learning in three dimensions, and in color.”

FFA students from Palmetto High and Braden River High assisted with the presentations to the third graders.

Diana Smith, a county extension agent and county 4-H coordinator, has worked with Ag Venture for about 20 years.

“The emphasis is on crops and products, and for children to understand the importance of agriculture in their lives,” Smith said. “When they look at a pizza, they can understand where the cheese, the sauce and the bread and the paper in the box comes from. And it’s not the supermarket.”

Ag Venture is a highlight of Manatee County Farm City Week, which runs through Saturday.

This story was originally published November 15, 2018 at 1:56 PM.