The annual Marion County Farm Bureau Ag Day for all fourth grade students in the county was held at the Marion County Fairgrounds on Tuesday.

This year the annual field trip saw 400 kids from six different school districts represented by 21 classrooms. There were ten presenters at Ag Day as kids rotated from station to station. Different aspects of agriculture that were at the stations included chickens, honeybees, Lely North America-Dairy, corn and soybeans, ethanol, Marion soil, Knoxville FFA petting zoo and farm safety, and the Marion County Extension Office. 

Lunch at the event was provided by the Marion County Cattleman who grilled hamburgers for the kids and chaperones. Jill DeBruin with the Marion County Farm Bureau who is an organizer for the event says that she wants all kids to have an opportunity to learn about the Ag industry as less and less children are coming from farm families.

“At Marion County Farm Bureau we just really love for kids to know where the food is coming from. When I was a kid more kids had a grandparent or an aunt and uncle on the farm and that is becoming a little less common. Some of these kids have never been on a farm or know where their food is coming from and agriculture is relevant to all of us.”

Marion County Farm Bureau gives $125 to each school district for each bus they send to make the field trip feasible.