(By Chabella Guzman, PREEC Communications)

SCOTTSBLUFF -- Sitting crouched on the floor, second graders pretended to be a kernel of corn, waiting to grow. With a spritz of water, Jana Schwartz, Nebraska Extension 4-H youth development assistant, instructs the students to grow as she pretends to be the sun. The children began to stand with their arms in the air, reaching for the sun, like corn stalks.  

The interactive lesson was one of eight stations at the annual AgSplosion Field Day on April 29, at the Panhandle Research Extension and Education Center in Scottsbluff. The 4-H Ag Literacy event is held across the Nebraska Panhandle each year, visiting 22 schools and educating more than 700 children on agriculture in their communities and beyond. 

“The number of farmers/ranchers has shrunk to less than two percent of the U.S. population,” said Nathan Rice, Nebraska Extension 4-H educator. “With this transition, programs like Agsplosion that showcase how our food is grown become so important early on in youth's careers, so we never lose the importance of agriculture to the success of our country's health.” 

Nebraska Extension staff from the Panhandle come together to organize the day-long events held over six days. The event is designed to engage youth in interactive sessions highlighting Nebraska's number one industry, agriculture. Many of the elementary schools in attendance also teach aspects of agriculture. 

“This is our fifth year here, and the day goes well with our curriculum, learning about vegetables and getting them from the farm to the table,” said Mercedes Alfaro, Westmoor Elementary second-grade teacher. “They love making the flour, grinding the wheat, and this is the first year they will take home soybeans and grow their own bean. They are really excited about that, and it helps give them a concrete understanding of abstract concepts we are learning, being able to see photosynthesis and the cycle of life in nature.”

One of the eight stations the students visited was the Ag Technology Station. Many changes take place in agriculture, and the students first learn what technology is, and how it changes over time. 

“We then look at the scale of modern agricultural production facilities and how impossible it would be without the technology we have created to help us,” Rice said. “We end the session with a relay race where teams take turns finding ag technology pieces based on hints. It's always fun to see how proud farm kids are that their parents are in agriculture and have the pieces of equipment we are talking about.” 

Other stations include:  

  • Beef Station students learn about beef production as well as the many beef byproducts 
  • Corn, students experience the life cycle of a plant and learn about the Nebraska Corn Board 
  • Dairy Station engages youth to make butter and learn about dairy operations
  • Swine session explains commercial swine operations and byproducts 
  • Potato lesson allows youth to examine the growth and development of potatoes
  • Wheat Station engages youth to grind wheat as well as learn about the plant cycle 
  • The bean lesson explores different types of beans, the importance of soybeans, and the growth of a seed.

AgSplosion was sponsored by the Nebraska Corn Board, Grandma's Noodles, Walther Farms, Farm Bureau (Ogallala and Grant), Oshkosh Heifer Development, and Farm Bureau (Dawes, Cheyenne, Keith, Morrill, and Sheridan County Boards).

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Nebraska Extension is a Division of the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln cooperating with the Counties and the United States Department of Agriculture. Nebraska Extension educational programs abide with the nondiscrimination policies of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and the United States Department of Agriculture.