Greg Hicks
Contributor
Agriculture is a constantly changing, complex industry that strives to meet the needs and concerns of its consumers and customers. Food and fiber are essential to everyday living, and we would like to salute the men and women who provide them not only to America but also to the world.
In celebration of National Agriculture Day, fourth-grade students from Hamilton County Elementary School and Corinth Christian Academy participated in "Youth Ag Day" on Thursday, March 6, at the Hamilton County Arena. This event was coordinated by Greg Hicks, UF/IFAS Extension Hamilton County Extension Director.
Approximately 100 youth were bused from their respective school to the arena, where they were divided into groups and rotated through nine stations by group leaders to learn about Hamilton County agriculture. At each station was a knowledgeable volunteer who talked about the commodity located at their station. The stations included Small Animal Production, led by Hamilton County High School (HCHS) teacher Denise Clayton; Beef Production, led by Rick Young and Dorrell Combass; Peanut Production, led by UF/IFAS Extension Hamilton County Agriculture Agent Keith Wynn; Swine Production, led by Clevie Selph with Selph Farms and Addison Morgan with Hamilton FFA; Corn Production, led by corn producer Seth Adams; Nutrien Ag Solutions, led by Senior Environmental Tech Justin Hicks; Honey Production, led by Kortney Stewart with Thomas Honey; Florida Peanut Federation, led by Executive Director Laura Fowler Goss; and Hydroponics, led by HCHS Agriculture teacher Doug Clayton. The group leaders were FFA members from the local FFA Chapter at HCHS.
The students were given a packet of goodies and educational materials donated by the Florida "Ag in The Classroom" Program, the Florida Cattlemen's Association, the Florida Dairymen's Association and the UF/IFAS Extension Hamilton County Office.
Lastly, the youth, teachers and volunteers were served a delicious meal of grilled hotdogs, hamburgers, chips and a drink sponsored by Nutrien White Springs. The meal was prepared by the Hamilton County Farm Bureau members, including David Goolsby, Jr., Karen Goolsby, Caroline Coombs (District 3 Farm Bureau Field Representative), Westley Deas, Tracy Deas and Amy McBrayer.
This program was designed to be a fun and educational day for the children. However, the main purpose was for each child to leave with an understanding of how important agriculture is to Hamilton County.
The UF/IFAS Extension Hamilton County Office would sincerely like to thank Nutrien, Hamilton County Farm Bureau, Hamilton County FFA members, principals, teachers, volunteers and all others who helped make this day a success.
