posted on Thursday, March 30, 2017 in Central Region News
Grace Evans of Bridgewater, IA, displays a 23-day old piglet from Audubon-Manning Veterinary Clinic (AMVC) for participants at Ag Adventure. She explained how baby piglets are processed to maintain their health and how the use of temperature-controlled buildings can contribute to the well-being of swine.
Ag Adventure at Greenfield’s 4th of July Celebration
Ag Adventure made its debut at the 4th of July celebration in Greenfield. The event focused on food production, livestock care, farm safety and modern agriculture practices. The volunteer-run park was open to all ages and reached over 600 people. The event was supported by Agriculture Works, a collaboration of local agriculture organizations including Adair County Farm Bureau, Adair County Corn and Soybean Growers, Adair County Cattlemen, and Adair County Pork Producers. The event was planned and coordinated by local farmer, Beth Baudler.
80 area farmers and agriculturalists donated their time to feature 10 hands-on activities where residents could learn about modern agriculture and have fun. The activities ranged from identifying cover crops to hearing from local farmers how they care for young animals including lambs, calves, pigs, and chickens. A special Grain Bin Tug-of-War station gave individuals the chance to see how much force they could pull with and learn about farm/grain bin safety. Participants took part in creating thank you cards for area farmers and were also asked to fill out a survey with their thoughts on modern agriculture. Kids built LEGO machines throughout the day, and toddlers enjoyed playing with farm toys and animals in pools of corn and soybeans. All participants had the opportunity to enjoy ice cream after they visited the stations and children were also able to receive a free copy of “My Family’s Beef Farm” or “Welcome to Our Farm!”, both factual stories of kids growing up on beef and swine farms.
A family attending Ag Adventure from California enthusiastically commented, “We love having the opportunity to see real farm animals. We don’t get the chance to experience events like this where we are from. It is a great way for kids and adults alike to learn about agriculture.”
Event organizer Beth Baudler noted, “The event wouldn’t have been possible without community support. It was neat to see area agriculturalists come together for a common advocacy effort. We appreciate the time and commitment to agriculture.”
Cargill and Southwest Iowa Egg donated over 400 eggs-on-a stick and provided volunteers throughout the day. Doug and Vicki Travis served homemade ice cream to participants who completed the Ag Adventure stations. The Iowa Pork Producers and Iowa Ag Literacy Foundation donated swine and beef books for kids to take home. Animals were provided for the event by Audubon-Manning Veterinary Clinic (AMVC) – pigs, John Baudler Family – calf, Rich & Deb Hall – sheep, Southwest Iowa Egg – chickens, and Montgomery County Historical Museum – model dairy cow. 21st Century Coop supplied corn and soybeans for the toddler pools. Promotional items and displays were donated by the Iowa Egg Council, Midwest Dairy Council, Midwest Cover Crops Council, Ryan Steinfeldt, and Adair County Farm Bureau. Carl Ford and the Nick Kintigh Family provided corral panels. Tents were supplied by J.A.C. Enterprises, Inc., Renew Ag Supply, Polly Miller, Jo Steele, and The Caviness Family. The Greenfield Fire Department brought their grain bin rescue tube to be displayed. Mary Long allowed Ag Adventure to use her electricity source. STEM Regional Office at SWCC provided the Build-A-Machine LEGO sets, and Iowa State Extension supplied the Grain Bin Tug-of-War supplies.
Press release courtesty of Beth Baudler-Adair County Farm Bureau.