Innovative and successful “Farmer for a Day” events held by the Van Buren County Farm Bureau were on display as one of the best in the nation during the 105th American Farm Bureau Convention in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Only 24 of the more than 150 entries were selected as national County Activities of Excellence (CAE) winners.
AFBF President Zippy Duvall stopped by the trade show floor at the AFBF national convention, where Van Buren County Farm Bureau members showcased the details of their event. | Photo by AFBF
Farmer for a Day is a lot like a Project RED event, with a twist, explained Van Buren County Farm Bureau member Tylor Kubiszak.
“Instead of students coming to the fairgrounds, we're actually going into the schools,” Kubiszak said.
“We set up a deal with the school saying, ‘hey, we need a parking lot or a field,’ and we show up with all the equipment, animals, all the different stations and put it on right there at the school, so the kids don't have to be bused anywhere, they just walk out of their classrooms.”
Last spring, some 900 students, grades K-5, and 50 teachers rotated through the stations, learning about Michigan agriculture from real-life farmers manning them.
Outside each school, volunteers set up five education stations: farm equipment (tractors, combines, etc.); livestock (cows, poultry, ponies, etc.); pollinators (bees); blueberries; and a make-and-take station where students made farm charms to take home.
Check out the video above to learn more about the event.