On Sept. 4 and 5, 446 Ogle and Carroll County fourth and fifth graders descended on the Ogle County Fairgrounds to learn about modern agriculture and its influences on daily living.

Hosted by University of Illinois Extension, Ag Awareness Day took youths on a fast-paced, interactive, guided tour of the science, engineering, and technology that drive today’s farm operations.

Students engaged in 30-minute workshops led by a variety of agricultural professionals from the area. Students were able to mingle with livestock; explore different ag careers, chat with a traveling vet; discuss basic biotechnology concepts; learn about different crops: navigate way points, and discuss how much soil it takes to grow crops.

This was the 23rd consecutive year for U of I Extension’s award-winning Ag Awareness Day program. It is intended that participants will think twice the next time they fry an egg, pass a cornfield-turned-subdivision, put on their leather boots, wrap up in a wool blanket, drink a glass of milk, or eat a bowl of cereal. The Midwest has long been heralded as a top agricultural production site. It is logical that tomorrow’s leaders understand how they fit into it.

Many students reported that they most enjoyed hearing firsthand the daily events of a livestock vet, harvesting honey, and using a GPS unit to find hidden coordinates in a scavenger hunt. Students also had fun collecting cool fact cards at each of the workshop stations.

Participating classrooms represented Chadwick-Milledgeville Schools; Kings School Elementary; Eswood Community Consolidated School; Monroe Center Grade School; Oregon Elementary School; and West Carroll Primary School.