EATON — Preble County third-grade students recently had several opportunities to explore agriculture careers and to think about their future.
Over 400 local students participated in the Ag STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) Day hosted at the Bullen Equestrian Center on the Preble County Fairgrounds. All students participated in 10 stations learning about agriculture and the many career areas beyond farming that supply the country with its food and fiber needs.
The hands-on learning stations included: agriculture mechanization with a GPS-ready tractor, soil conservation, feeds and feeding, agriculture sustainability facts, as well as stations with live animals that included beef cattle, goats, dairy calves, poultry, rabbits, swine, and equine.
Harold Niehaus, the Preble County ESC Career Connections Director, shared his gratitude to the Preble County Farm Bureau for their sponsorship of Ag STEM Day t-shirts which were given to all participants, along with Ag Mags and rulers.
“Another thank you goes out to all five FFA chapters (Eaton-MVCTC, National Trail-MVCTC, Preble Shawnee, Tri-County North-MVCTC, and Twin Valley South-MVCTC) whose members served as the presenters for the day,” Niehaus added. “Also, all of this year’s 3rd-grade students received their very own copy of the book ‘How did that get in my lunchbox?’ through a grant received by the Eaton MVCTC FFA from the Ohio FFA Foundation and the Ohio Department of Agriculture.”
According to Niehaus, throughout the day students were heard saying, “This was fun!” and “I learned so much!”
