The Life on the Farm-Ag Festival was held in Bloomfield on April 24 at the Harm and Tulley’s Event Center. Approximately 250 students in 3rd and 4th grade from Knox and Cedar counties attended.
Connie McCarthy from the Lower Niobrara NRD and Lisa Lauver from the Lower Elkhorn NRD teamed up to provide youth with a hands-on learning approach. Each participant left this session knowing how important water quality is in Nebraska.
Horses are instrumental on many farms and ranches in Nebraska. Ella Jessen of Bloomfield brought her horse and pony and discussed the differences in the types and breeds of equine and why they are needed on the farms and ranches. She also described the importance of horse safety.
Beef production is a huge industry in our region. Kaydence and Ainslee Jansen of Crofton brought in their Highland calf and presented educational information about beef breeds and production. Each student had the opportunity to feel the different type of hair from the Highland breed.
Dylon Nilson of Creighton presented how to care for sheep, sheep genetics, and identify products that come from sheep. His genetics topic educated youth on how traits can influence productivity and characteristics of each breed. At the end of the his presentation students had the opportunity to feel the lamb’s wool.
4-H has a learn-by-doing approach. Cara Wiebelhaus, Cedar County 4-H Assistant, shared information about joining 4-H along with different kinds of projects students can learn through 4-H. Projects shared included: photography, food/nutrition, and home design and restoration.
Hanna Hake and Nick Rohde with Farmers Pride explained to the youth how important Farm Safety is on the farm and ranch! With some awesome video clips, youth where able to see how important farm safety is and what correct safety equipment is needed around PTO shafts and other pieces of machinery.
Each youth participated in a hands-on poultry demonstration featuring how to separate the yolk out of the egg by using a plastic bottle! The youth were also shown the weight of a chicken by using a watermelon as an example, and the weight of an egg by using a golf ball! This session was led by local staff of Michael Foods, from Bloomfield.
Cameron Tyler from Creighton provided the youth with the opportunity to see how different types of livestock can be transported with a semitrailer. He presented the equipment that is needed to load and unload livestock. The highlight of this presentation was that everyone toured the inside of the semi!
Amy Greger and Wyatt Beltz from Husker Ag in Plainview presented the process of making ethanol from millions of bushels of corn grown in Nebraska each year. The youth also learned that byproducts like distiller’s grain are also produced in this process and can be used as livestock feed.
Each student left the festival with Life on the Farm knowledge and a bag full of information and activities. The sponsors for the event included Midwest Dairy Association, Nebraska Pork Producers, Nebraska Farm Bureau Foundation of Agriculture, Nebraska Department of Agriculture, Lewis & Clark NRD, Farmers Pride, Nebraska Wheat Board, Nebraska Corn Board, Roger Sprakel Dairy Farms, Nebraska Extension, Nebraska Beef Council, American Lamb Association, Nebraska Sheep & Goats , Nebraska Cattlemen, Michael Foods, Bloomfield FFA Chapter, Creighton FFA Chapter, Crofton FFA Chapter, Verdigre FFA Chapter, Grossenburg Implement of Bloomfield and the City of Bloomfield.