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For more information contact mark.a.kinders@uwrf.edu or brenda.k.bredahl@uwrf.edu.

Elementary Students Invited to Attend Farm Day

By Jonathan Drankwalter
UWRF University Communications

APRIL 4, 2008--Hundreds of students from kindergarten through third grade have been invited to attend this year's Farm Day on April 18, located at the new Dairy Learning Center at the Mann Valley Lab Farm 2 at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls.

Farm day will begin at 9 a.m. and conclude at 2 p.m. There will be 15-minute learning segments and activities at each educational booth, and then the students will be able to rotate to other booths.

Alpha Zeta, an honorary agricultural fraternity, will host Farm Day, which educates the youth on different aspects of agriculture from sheep sheering to milk production. The UWRF College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences will have educational booths at the farm.

This year the UWRF Agriculture Education Society, Rodeo Club, Dairy Club, and Poultry Club will each host activities throughout the day to maximize the learning experience. Topics at the farm will range from rodeo events, agriculture Jeopardy, egg candling and dairy story time. There will also be a petting zoo to enjoy.

Katie Kramer, a junior agricultural major from Black Creek, Wis., is the head chair of Farm Day and Jessica Pries, a senior horticulture major from Eyota, Minn., is the publicity chair of the event.

" I am really excited for Farm Day," said Pries. "With so many people not living on a farm these days, it's really great to get the kids out to the Lab Farm to learn about agriculture. It's a lot of fun for the elementary students and college students alike."

Farm Day began in the early 1990s by the UWRF Dairy Club and was initially called Dairy Jubilee, and focused primarily on the dairy industry and topics related to dairy. The original events were held on the main campus near the old student center. Over the years the educational event grew in size and began to offer more educational categories from the entire agricultural field. A few years back, Alpha Zeta took on sponsorship of the annual event and became the primary organizer of what is now observed as Farm Day. Some 650 students attended last year, according to organizers.

To participate in this year's Farm Day, please contact the Alpha Zeta fraternity at alphazeta_uwrf@hotmail.com for group reservations or for more information call the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences at 715-425-3841.

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Last updated: Thursday, 22-Apr-2010 16:08:55 Central Daylight Time