By Julie Tomascik, Editor
Students and teachers learned more about agriculture through Texas Farm Bureau’s Doorways to Agriculture exhibit at the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo.
School tours brought thousands of students through the exhibit during the show’s three-week run.
“It is very important to have our students here so they can learn where our food is coming from,” Monica Ramirez, a second-grade teacher at Fort Worth ISD, said.
Doorways to Agriculture includes touchscreen kiosks, oversized interactive “books” and a theater showcasing videos of farmers and ranchers. The walk-through trailer has displays and games that encourage kids and adults to learn more about food and fiber.
The exhibit also includes a miniature model of a cotton gin, showing how cotton is processed.
“Some of the students might not have the opportunity to come on their own with their family. So just by bringing them on a field trip is a great opportunity for them to be able to experience the stock show and everything that it gives to the kids,” Ramirez told the Texas Farm Bureau Radio Network.
Many students are several generations removed from agriculture, but the field trip to the stock show and a tour through Doorways to Agriculture helps them see how most items they use every day begin on a farm.
“I think it’s important for me as a kindergarten teacher to make sure my kids understand that food doesn’t just appear on their table or at the grocery stores,” Candice Jenkins, a kindergarten teacher at Granbury ISD, said.
The exhibit showcases modern agriculture, connects visitors with farmers and shares fun and interesting facts through various activities.
“I just think it’s really important that you’re here to educate our students and in a way that they understand. It’s not something that’s way above their heads. It makes it accessible to all of our kids, and I just really appreciate that,” Jenkins said.
The exhibit is now on display at the San Antonio Livestock Exposition until Feb. 25.
It also will be on display at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, Rio Grande Valley Livestock Show and Rodeo Austin.
See the full 2024 exhibit schedule and learn more about Doorways to Agriculture at texasfarmbureau.org/youth/ag-in-the-community.