Manatee students get hands-on with agriculture. Here’s what happened at Ag Venture

After more than 17 years of participating in the Ag Venture program, senior forest ranger Chris Taylor learned to prepare for the annual dive into all things agriculture.

With cough drops in the pocket of his Florida Forest Service uniform, Taylor interacted with more than 1,000 third-grade students on Thursday morning. Two groups — lovingly named the first and second crop — rotated between stations at Mosaic Arena throughout the event.

Smoke billowed from Taylor’s station during a lesson on fire basics. His team ignited a bed of pine needles and demonstrated firefighting tools, grabbing the students’ attention while explaining the science of fuel, heat and oxygen.

About half a dozen students raised their hands when Taylor asked if all fires were bad, and they left knowing the difference between harmful and helpful flames. When controlled by a professional, fire is actually a tool to maintain and protect valuable land, Taylor explained.

“When they think of firefighting, they think of a big red fire truck spraying water,” he said. “They don’t understand what we do, and they have no idea about our role in agriculture.”

Students knew it was time for a new station when “Old MacDonald Had a Farm” played in the background. The forestry group moved a short distance to the station on dairy goats and, perhaps more importantly, a lesson on how to make goat milk fudge.

Donning cowboy hats and smiles, the group sat on a row of buckets and made acquaintances with two dairy goats, Kona and Lucky. The instructor, equipped with a tabletop microwave and sample treats, then shared a recipe from Better Hens and Gardens:

• 1 pound of powdered sugar.
• 1/2 cup of cocoa.
• 1/2 cup of butter.
• 1/4 cup of whole goat or cow milk.
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla.
• 1/2 cup of chopped pecans or walnuts (optional).

The recipe starts by combining sugar and cocoa in a large microwave-safe bowl and making an indent in the center. Cut-up butter and milk is placed in the indent — no stirring.

Students were told to microwave the bowl for two minutes before adding vanilla, mixing in nuts and blending the mixture until it becomes smooth. Finally, they learned to pour their mixture into a greased eight-by-eight pan and to refrigerate the blend until it becomes firm.

At the same time, hundreds of other boys and girls learned about soil, plants, citrus, and butter-making. Students raised their hands and asked questions, leaning on the edge of their makeshift bucket seats.

“It smells good,” one student said, holding a chunk of wax at the beekeeping station.

Every station was meant to educate students on the source of beloved foods and everyday products, said Diana Smith, the Manatee 4-H coordinator.

Smith grew up on a farm in South Carolina before she earned a Ph.D in agriculture and extension education. Her passion is shared by many at the annual Ag Venture program, an effort led by 4-H and organized by the Farm City Week Committee.

“These kids are two to three generations away from the farm, and everybody really needs to understand where their food comes from,” she said. “If you have a respect for your food and the land, we believe you will truly be a better citizen.”

This story was originally published November 14, 2019 at 3:32 PM.