Hundreds of fourth graders criss-crossed the Hartford Fairgrounds in awe, meeting farmers, horseback riders and turkeys during a field trip to the fairgrounds on Wednesday, Sept. 24.
Moving from table to table, more than 500 students from Johnstown-Monroe, Licking Valley, Northridge and Utica elementary schools spent the day learning about agriculture as part of the Licking County Farm Bureau’s “Fourth Grade Ag Day.”
Heather McClain answers questions from curious fourth graders. 
A group of fourth graders from Johnstown-Monroe Elementary School learn about plants with Timbuk Farms. 
Ellie, a student, listens to bees buzzing in a hive. 
Students learn about agriculture and growing crops. 
Johnstown-Monroe students look at the bee education table. 
“Does anyone want to be a farmer when they grow up?”
A few hands shot up. Kim Salvage, business director of Timbuk Farms, is teaching kids about growing annuals – plants that must be replanted each season. Timbuk Farms is one of 27 presenters that tabled in the Grubb Arena, a large open barn space at the fairgrounds.
Kids learned and experimented with everything from livestock caretaking to soil and water conservation to beekeeping.
At one station, a dark brown quarter horse named Junior demonstrates a walk versus a trot, earning awed stares from the fourth graders.
“Do you guys know how you measure a horse?” asked Heather McClain, with the Licking County Farm Bureau.
A chorus of curious voices made their guesses. Meters? Inches? Feet? Miles? McClain then demonstrated the correct method — hands — counting Junior at 15 hands.
Across the way at a poultry table, an heirloom turkey named Bluey is winding down for the day. Earlier this morning, he walked flamboyantly with a tiny cowboy hat, allowing kids to pet his soft feathers. This table focused on everything poultry.
“Just trying to get the kids a little idea of what poultry really is,” said Carrie Lewis, Licking County 4-H Committee vice president. “Kids do know that it gives them meat and eggs, but poultry is also for fun, and we really tried to focus today on how much fun it can be.”
Mia Fischel writes for TheReportingProject.org, the nonprofit news organization of Denison University’s Journalism program, which is supported by generous donations from readers. Sign up for The Reporting Project newsletter here.