Teaching the next generation about agriculture is the purpose of the Swift Current Ag & Ex’s Discover the Farm: A Farm Facts Experience Show, held in late-April.
The organization says on its website one of the goals is to “encourage youth involvement in agriculture, as well as expand their knowledge of food production, farm safety, nutrition, and animal care.”
Event Coordinator with the Swift Current Ag & Ex Megan Muri says Discover the Farm is aimed at elementary school students – from Kindergarten to Grade 4 – in the Swift Current and southwest Saskatchewan area.
“There is about a dozen stations that the kids rotate through and they learn about a variety of topics that are mostly agriculture and safety related, and we try to focus on farm safety.” noted Muri.
Beef production, crop types, PTO safety, and bee keeping are some of the topics covered by the program, and Muri says it’s a hit with kids.
“It’s always a really fun field trip for them, there’s always a lot of excitement and laughter,” she said. “It’s amazing how quiet you can get about 200 kids at one time when they’re actually learning something, but then they do some hands-on activities and it’s lots of fun.”
She says Discover the Farm, in its 11th year, is something they’re proud to host annually.
“There’s a lot of kids, especially in Swift Current, that they’re a little more further removed from agriculture than those of us that grew up out of the city, so it’s nice for them to see the farm animals and stuff in person.”
