Staff photo / J.T. Whitehouse OSU Extension Educator Chevy Motswaledi talks to West Branch fourth graders about what it takes to grow a tomato. Following the Ag Day session, all the students received a small tomato plant to take home.

CANFIELD — The story is often told of the little boy who was asked where his food comes from and replies the grocery store.

While it is in a sense true, it goes a little deeper and fourth graders around the county got to experience where it all begins during the first-ever Ag Day at the Canfield Fairgrounds through a joint effort of The Ohio State University Extension and the Mahoning County Farm Bureau.

“We have eight schools and 34 individual classes participating, including all Youngstown City Elementary students,” said Alex Kennedy, OSU Extension coordinator. “We partnered with Mahoning County Farm Bureau who has built strong and trusted connections with farmers and the broader agricultural community. They create meaningful programs and connections across our county and our state that have led us to have access to a network on individuals and farms that can assist in making this day.”

She said Ag Day is designed to help students learn where their food and fiber come from through engaging, interactive stations led by local farmers, industry professionals and community partners. Students rotated through 18 stations that included milking a cow, making butter, exploring farm equipment, learning about honey production, interacting with farm animals, and discovering how wool, maple syrup and crops are produced. Additional stations highlighted natural resources, veterinary science and environmental topics such as watersheds.

“This event gives students a chance to experience agriculture in a hands-on way,” said Beth Smith, Mahoning County 4-H Youth Development Educator with the OSU Extension. “For many youth, this is their first opportunity to connect what they see every day — food, clothing, and natural resources — to how those things are produced.” The event began with various schools busing their fourth graders to the fairgrounds, then the classes were staggered and — with an army of volunteers — were able to move from station to station, picking up some fun items along the way.

At the tomato station, students got a quick lesson from OSU Educator Chevy Motswaledi on how the plants are started and grown. Following her demonstrations, each student got to plant their own tomato plant into a plastic cup they could take home.

At the end of the day, all the students gained knowledge about where their food does come from. They got to view it firsthand through the efforts of the volunteers.

“This partnership is a great example of how our agricultural community can come together to educate the next generation,” said Jennifer Pemberton, president of the Mahoning County Farm Bureau. “Ag Day helps students better understand the important role agriculture plays in their daily lives.”

The event was quite popular and at the end of the event, promoters were pleased to see the positive outcome from the many smiling and knowledgeable faces that boarded the school buses. Kennedy said the event was modeled after an already successful one in Ohio.

“This is our first Ag Day in Mahoning County,” she said, “however we have modeled the program and event off the well-established program (in the neighboring extension office) in Ashtabula.”