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Sam Penrod ReportingElementary students from Utah County are getting out of the classroom this week. Second grade students are going to the farm for some hands on class work on agriculture.
It is probably the first time these second grades students have watched as a sheep got a haircut. Today they learned it's really called shearing a sheep and the wool goes to make clothes. For 12 years now, second grade students from all over Utah County have been invited to farm field day.
Neil Anderson, Utah County Farm Bureau: "I think it's a good opportunity for these children to understand where their food and fiber comes from, and hope they understand why it is important to have farms and ranches here in Utah."
Over the past 12 years, 50,000 students have been involved and today Michael Houghton was recognized as number 50 thousand to be at the farm. Eight years ago, Chelsea Jepperson and Dani Frandsen were there as second graders. Today they are sophomores and helping to teach the workshops.
Chelsea Jepperson, Volunteer: "They are asking questions about how old a sheep is."
Dani Frandsen, Volunteer: "I think it helps them a lot because it widens their eyes about agriculture and how important it actually is to everything."
A talking tomato teaches students about the food pyramid and they learn where their food really comes from.
Neil Anderson, Utah County Farm Bureau: "They think it comes from a store, and they don't actually realize it is being grown on a farm."
While students are learning about all types of food, it is the animals that are the biggest hit.
As farm land seems to keep disappearing with more homes and stores being built, farmers hope to keep agriculture an important part of the community. The farm field day is sponsored by the Utah County Farm Bureau and the Utah State Extension Service.
