Spring 2005
FARM-CITY
CONNECTIONS
A PUBLICATION OF THE NATIONAL FARM-CITY® COUNCIL
City kids taste the joys of country life
The work was hard—but fun– say the high school students who spent 10-days on a working ranch or farm.
Each April, about 30 enthusiastic students The Porters said, "Amy was ready to learn about all
from Bear Creek High School in Lakewood, Colorado we did. She asked a lot of questions, from how weather
trade their backpacks and books for work boots and affects the farmers, to why you fertilize, and all about water
jeans as they participate in Senior Field Studies, a usage. Anything we did she was right there ready to help
program sponsored by the Colorado Farm Bureau and learn. She has done everything from loading hay,
Women's Committee. The program takes suburban, ditching ditches, fixing sprinkler pipe to going to a legisla-
high school seniors out of their normal environment tive meeting with Mark Larsen and Kay Alexander. It’s been
and places them on a Colorado Farm Bureau mem- a great week!"
ber's farm or ranch for 10 days to learn about agricul- Michele Brown who stayed with Marvin and Linda
ture and rural life. Packard in Baca County agrees. "It
These suburban kids live and "City kids get first-hand was a great opportunity and I learned
work with their host families and par- so much!" she said. "They are the
knowledge of where their best family I have ever met in my life.
ticipate in all family activities, from
church to meetings to attending a food comes from. We get They made me feel so welcomed and
rural school for a day. Last year, the first-hand knowledge of how comfortable." Brown added, "I learned
students went to the National West- great some city kids are!” where our food comes from and how
ern Stock Show and to Sakata Farms demanding the entire job is! It's never
in Adams County, Colorado, as part of their field trips ending; there’s always something to do."
prior to their 10-day farm stay. Christine Warner, who stayed with Lanny and
“A learning experience” Patsy Denham in Montrose County, said, "I mainly learned
The experience is always worthwhile for the how hard working farmers and ranchers are and just how
students and their host families. "It was definitely a precious water is. I now realize that water is the life of eve-
learning experience," said Amy Mann, hosted by rything and in the future I will definitely make sure (when I
Jimmy and Dorothy Porter of Cortez. "I felt completely vote) that water is used well and that farmers and ranchers
at ease in my family. I felt like I was appreciated and get what they need."
was actually being of some help. I learned the impor-
tance of farming, how hard it is and how much they go
through." CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
MESSAGE FROM THE City kids (cont.)
Vern and Anna Ruth Koppenhaffer of Montezuma
CHAIRMAN County hosted students Kimberly Kram and Tana Jackman.
On the greatest strength of Senior Field Studies, they said,
"City kids get first-hand knowledge of where their food comes
Dear Farm-City Friends, from and we get first-hand knowledge of how great some
‘city’ kids are! This program gives us a fresh look at our lives,
This issue of the and our students learned how hard we work, how much our
Farm-City Connections is livelihood depends on how well we care for our land, our ani-
overflowing with great, mals and our loved ones. What a great lifestyle to grow up
creative ideas from across in!"
the country on how you Many families host students year after year because
can help make the Farm- they enjoy the experience so much. They feel the knowledge
City message come alive these kids gain and the opportunity to meet a new person
in your community. We and teach them about the farm and ranch business and life-
thank all the contributors Al Pell, Chairman style far outweighs any inconveniences.
for so generously sharing
their stories and photos with us.
From local legislators participating in
proclamations, to hosting students on farms, to
sponsoring farm visits and ag displays, the Farm-
City message about the importance of the relation-
ship between farm and city folk is being heard
throughout the country. We hope the ideas in this
issue will spark your imagination and enthusiasm.
If you’re planning a Farm-City event, we
urge you to take advantage of the resources avail-
able to you from the National Farm-City Council.
You can go to our Web site, www.farmcity.org,
and find a list of all the materials and helpful aids
that are available to you. Please take advantage
of them. A Farm City Kit which has samples of all
the resources is also available. (See page 7 for
ordering information.)
To all of you who are on Farm-City
Committees and are donating your time and effort
to Farm-City events — thank you! Your work is
making a difference!
Sincerely,
Al Pell, Chairman
Farm-City Connections is a publication of the
National Farm-City® Council, Inc.
1501 East Woodfield Road Suite 300W
Schaumburg, IL 60173-5422
Phone: 847.969.2974 Fax: 847.969.2752
Visit our Web site at www. farmcity.org
The National Farm-City Council is a 501(c )(3) charitable
organization under the Internal Revenue Service Code. Students from a suburban Colorado high school spent time on the farm doing
all sorts of chores and learning first-hand what farming is all about.
Page 2
West Virginians celebrate Farm-City Week at Farmer’s Market
West Virginia Department of Agriculture employees
handed out an entire carton of apples and Commissioner of
Agriculture Gus Douglass played “meet and greet” with visitors to
the Capitol Market on November 19, 2004 as the West Virginia
Department of Agriculture celebrated National Farm-City Week
with Farm City Day at Capital Market. The event featured a public
tasting of West Virginia-grown products, a free apple for everyone
who came through the door, and informational material on the
interdependence between farm and city in our society.
Commissioner Douglass, along with Deputy Commission-
ers Janet Fisher and Steve Hannah, also attended and gave a
short presentation that included Governor Wise’s proclamation of
Farm-City Week in West Virginia.
“During this week leading up to Thanksgiving, it is par-
ticularly important that we appreciate the importance of our food West Virginia Deputy Commissioners Steve Hannah and
supply, the quality and abundance of which makes so many other Janet Fisher join West Virginia Commissioner of Agriculture
Gus Douglass in celebrating Farm-City Week festivities at
things possible in this nation,” said Commissioner Douglass. “It’s Charleston’s Capital Farmer’s Market.
also important we remember that the food we eat begins on a
farm, but that many others are involved in making sure it safely
reaches our grocery stores and dinner tables.”
“The Learning Barn”
Mississippi elementary school children learn about agri-
culture right in their own school library when they visit “The Learn-
ing Barn.”
“The Learning Barn” is an eye-catching display meant to
entice teachers, children and their parents to take a closer look at
what’s inside. The barn is 4-1/2 feet high, 4-1/2 feet wide and 2
feet deep. Once opened, the shelved interior is filled with videos,
books, puzzles, puppets, games, toys, brochures, and other edu-
cational materials relating to agriculture.
The materials in “The Learning Barn” are geared to chil-
dren from kindergarten through fifth grade. For younger children,
there is information about farm animals, equipment, and the
source of their food and fiber. For older children, the material cov-
ers the day-to-day decisions a farmer or rancher must make in
the production of his commodity and other important issues such
as the environment, feeding a growing population and health
issues. Teachers guides, activity packets and prepared lesson
plans are also available for the teachers’ convenience.
Used by school libraries
Many schools set up the barn in the school library. The
librarian can then use the material when each class visits the li-
brary or the teachers can check out materials for their classroom
lessons.
The barn is easy to transport from school to school. It will
fit in the back of a van without being disassembled. The materials
inside are packed into boxes for transport. The barn usually re-
mains at a school for a few weeks then the material is packed up,
the barn is disassembled, and it is moved to another school.
Mississippi Farm Bureau uses “The Learning Barn” to
entice children to learn more about agriculture.
Page 3
Kansas Farm Bureaus celebrate Farm-City Week in new ways
From hosting coffee at a local restaurant to donating ag-related books to local libraries, county Farm
Bureaus and their Farm-City committees throughout Kansas developed some creative ways to cele-
brate Farm-City Week.
• Barton County Farm Bureau celebrated Farm-City Week by sending Farm Fest books to all
fourth grade teachers throughout Kansas to share with their students. The books were also
given to a variety of offices to display in their waiting rooms. At a Chamber of Commerce coffee,
Farm Fact books and homemade goodies made by the Farm Bureau staff served as door
prizes. About 75 people attended.
• Pawnee County Farm Bureau sponsored an “Old-Fashioned Saturday Night” complete with
popcorn and a free showing of “Friday Night Lights”. The event was held at the Larnet State
Theater to bring farm and city folk together for a fun evening.
• Johnson County Farm Bureau hosted a coffee at a local restaurant. They bought the coffee
for three hours, and donated three dozen coffee mugs to the restaurant with the Farm Bureau’s
logo on them. Table tents explaining Farm-City Week were placed on each table along with
Farm-City placemats. Information about ethanol and agri-tourism was also available.
• Sedgwick County Farm Bureau donated money for two days worth of meals at the Lord’s
Diner in Wichita, Kansas. They also worked at the diner serving food and cleaning up the day
before Thanksgiving. The Lord’s Diner is an establishment where anyone is welcome to receive
a free meal with no questions asked.
• Reno County Farm Bureau donated two children’s books each to the eight rural libraries in
Reno County in honor of Farm-City Week. The two books were “Old Mac Donald Had a Farm,”
illustrated by Pam Adams, and “Barn Dance,” by Bill Martin, a native Kansan. Each library was
also given a packet of safety and ag education information from the Kansas Farm Bureau.
Planning a Farm-City event? Need ideas? Here’s help!
The National Farm-City Council offers a free, 31-page Tips, Tools and Ideas Booklet to help you plan a
successful Farm-City event.
The booklet, with tips, tools and ideas is available to download in PDF format on the Farm-City Web site
(www. farmcity.org) in both a complete version and a version broken up into the various sections.
This booklet is full of ideas and suggestions for all types of Farm-City events, whether large or small. It
is primarily the work of Sherri Butters, a former member of our national board of directors and chair of the Tioga
County, Penna., Farm-City Day. Sherri has been involved with Farm-City activities for years and has pulled to-
gether her ideas and thoughts from the many successful programs they have had over the years.
The brochure also draws upon ideas and suggestions that have come from Farm-City organizations
around the country, including photographs, checklists, and "do’s and don'ts" suggestions. There are 20 different
sections in the book and each is available as a separate, downloadable and printable PDF file. Users will need
Adobe Acrobat Reader to download the materials. (Acrobat Reader is available for free and is downloadable as
well.)
To download your free Tips, Tools & Ideas Booklet
go to : www. farmcity.org and click on “Plan a Farm-City Event.”
Corn “a-maizes” young visitors
A “cow train” takes young visitors on a trip through the Seward Farm in Moss Point, Mississippi.
Many farms use corn mazes as agro- The amazing maze
entertainment to earn supplemental income. But the Most of the older youths and adults head straight
Seward family in Mississippi also view their corn to the corn maze, taking with them a list of questions that
maze as a great opportunity to teach others about are ag-related. If they answer all of the questions cor-
agriculture. rectly, they make their way through the maze easily. If
they don't, they might take a full hour to maneuver
“Farming is how we earn a living,” Susan
Seward says. “We are country people who farm. We through it. The correct pathway through the 10-foot-high
want others to understand and to appreciate farm life. maze can be walked in only 15 minutes. Most wandering
maze-goers will require about one hour to travel through
As farmers, we were looking for a way to increase
the profitability of our farm while teaching adults and its more than three
children, in a fun way, the many advantages of farm miles of twists, turns
and decision points.
life. People are becoming generations removed from
farming. We wanted to remind them where their food Visitors are
and fiber come from. also given a map of
the maze. In addi-
"Our corn maze does this by capturing their
attention long enough for us to get our point across." tion, trail signs peri-
The Seward Farms Maze is open to anyone, odically assist them
in finding their way.
but the Sewards especially enjoy interacting with
school children. They see this as an opportunity to “Corn cops” patrol
teach them at an early age all about agriculture. the inside of the
In addition to the corn maze, the farm offers maze to make sure
a farm animal alley, duck pond, cow train (cars are they don’t stay lost
long.
made out of plastic barrels painted like Holstein cows
then hooked together and pulled by a tractor) a corn When the
cannon, playground, picnic tables, PVC slide and visitors leave Sew-
ard Farms, they take
very simple hay maze.
with them a Learning
A day on the farm Pack filled with infor-
When groups of school children arrive at mation about state
Seward Farms, Susan ushers them into a large barn- agriculture.
like building, where they sit on hay bales and listen to Visitors await their turn to navigate
through the corn maze.
“We’ve got-
her talk about corn, cotton, beef cattle and dairy ten a lot of help from
farming. They also view a five-minute ag video. the Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation ” Susan says.
Susan emphasizes to the young people and “Today’s youths are tomorrow’s leaders. We want them
teachers that today’s farmers are well educated and to appreciate agriculture just as much as we do.”
use modern technology such as satellites and com-
puters. She makes sure they know that farmers work
very hard so that our nation has an abundant and
affordable supply of food and fiber. She also tells
them that farmers take very good care of their land Farm-City Committee tip….
and their animals. Many farmers would like their neighbors to know more
After the video, the younger kids take a hay- about agriculture. If you’re looking for an idea for a new
ride around the farm. Some of them also ride in the Farm-City event, consider teaming up with a local ag
unique “cow train” and visit the farm animal alley. All business, like this corn maze, to produce a fun and
visitors have an opportunity to shoot corn from a educational Farm-City event.
“corn cannon.”
Award winning Farm-City activities throughout New York state
Schoharie County promotes farm connections in ad campaign
Schoharie County New York won the New York Farm Bureau's 2004 Promotion and Education Award for its media
advertising campaign. The campaign was designed to reinforce the county's agriculture, invite the public to
agricultural events, and bring an increased understanding of the industry. The program has brought forth a wonderful
working relationship between the Chamber of Commerce, the State University College, the County Government and
Farm Bureau, maximizing the benefits to all through their efforts.
Franklin County farm tours
Franklin County New York was a Farm-City state winner for its
Farm Awareness Tours. The general public had a chance to visit
three farms on two different dates. The goal of the project was to
enhance awareness and understanding of agriculture, highlight the
business and management aspects of the industry, and improve
relationships with neighbors and the public. Overall,175 people
attended the tours. Many agencies, businesses and organizations
coordinated to make the program a success. Their efforts
brought media attention, funding opportunities and increased net-
working within the industry.
City folk get taste of country at
Erie County fair
With one million visitors each year, the 11-day Erie County
New York fair is the largest independent county fair in North
America. This year, a booth display sponsored by the Erie
County Farm Bureau, the Erie County Ag Society, and sev-
eral local greenhouses was a Farm-City state winner. The
booth included handouts about agriculture, a grain area for
children, and knowledgeable people to answer questions and
make contact with the general public.
Page 6
National Farm-City Council elects new board members
At the annual National Farm-City Council meeting, new Re-elected Farm-City Council board members
officers and one new board member were elected. Julie Doane, Monsanto
Charles Eastin, Kentucky Farm-City Committee
2005 Officers James H. Ebbinghaus, Assoc. of Equipment Mfgs.
Chair: Al Pell, AgDay Television Jeri Marxman, University of Illinois
Vice Chair: Diane Olson, MO Farm Bureau Federation Diane Olson, Missouri Farm Bureau Federation
Vice Chair: Paul Till, Alabama Farmers Federation Gary R. Shafer, Harris Bank
Secretary/Treasurer: Marsha Purcell, Katherine Trent, Altria Corporate Services
American Farm Bureau Federation
Board members serving second year of a
New board members two-year term:
Jillian Goode, International Food Information Council Marilyn Adams, Farm Safety 4 Just Kids
Jerry Harrington, Pioneer Hi-Bred International Mike Adams, AgriTalk/Doane Agricultural Services
Walter Armbruster, Farm Foundation
Gene Hemphill, New Holland
Chris Sigurdson, Purdue University
Paul Till, Alabama Farmers Federation
Al Pell, AgDay Television
Marsha Purcell, Amer. Farm Bureau Fed.
HOW TO ORDER FARM-CITY MATERIALS
The Farm-City Kit contains informational material and samples of the
various items available to promote Farm-City activities. Materials in
the kit can be ordered by mail. See the Farm-City Web site at www.
farmcity.org for a complete list of materials.
FARM-CITY KITS
QTY. PRICE SHIPPING & HANDLING
1 $7.00 1-3 $5.00 11-15 $7.50
2-20 $5.50 ea. 4-6 $5.50 16-20 $8.50
20+ $5.00 ea. 7-10 $6.50 20+ Call for pricing
Send a check or money order payable to National Farm-City Council
to:
National Farm-City Council, Inc.
1501 East Woodfield Road, Suite 300W
Schaumburg, IL 60173-5422
Ohio’s Mahoning County hosts legislators, local officials at Farm-City breakfast
Ohio Congressman Ted Strickland and Senator Robert Hagan joined State Representatives John
Boccieri, Ken Caronoa and Sylvester Patton in presenting a joint proclamation to the Mahoning County Farm Bu-
reau. The presentation took place at the Mahoning County Farm Bureau’s Farm-City Week omelet breakfast.
“We invited all elected officials and school superintendents,” says Pearl Burlingame, Organization Direc-
tor of the Mahoning County, Ohio, Farm Bureau. “We had 73 attend, and had a good deal of media, print and TV
at the event, too. We took the information from the Farm-City Web site and put it on the proclamation. It is quite
an impressive signed piece!”
Page 7
National Farm-City Council, Inc.
PRST STD
1501 East Woodfield Road
U.S. POSTAGE
Suite 300W
PAID
Schaumburg, IL 60173-5422
HAMBURG, PA
PERMIT NO. 102
Utah students learn about the importance of water
Utah’s Governor Walker participated in a hands-on demonstration with fourth-grade students showing them the
importance of protecting watersheds. The demonstration was part of National Agriculture Week, which was cele-
brated at the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food. As part of the Governor’s watershed initiative, elementary
school students throughout Utah are being educated about five key questions relating to watersheds: 1.) What is a
watershed?; 2.) Where is my watershed?; 3.) How healthy is my watershed?; 4.) Where does the water go?; and
5.) What can I do?