Over at the Fauquier High School (FHS) farm, also known as the Future Farmers of America (FFA) farm, a very exciting event took place on Wednesday Oct. 15th. This event was called Food for America. Fourth graders from each of the elementary schools in Fairfax county took a trip over to the FFA farm, where the FFA club had the farm set up with a whole bunch of hands-on learning experiences for the youth.
FFA president, Grace Faulk, a senior this year at FHS, enjoys participating in Food for America because she gets to inform the youth about agriculture and help create an enjoyable experience for the visitors. Faulk runs the FFA station with her vice president, junior Emma Flemming. At the FFA station, Faulk would teach the elementary schoolers about what the FFA club does and its purpose. Faulk loves being able to have an impact on the children and show them how important agriculture is, not just to the farmers, but to everyone around it.
Abigail [Abby] Rodgers, a junior here at FHS, enjoys getting to be part of this event and interacting with the fourth graders. “The animals have always been a big hit. I've done the goat station for the past three years and [the elementary students] always love all the animals,” commented Rodgers.
Many other stations and experiences were available to the students. Stations with different animals, plants and hay rides were among the many opportunities at the Food for America event. The stations were set up throughout the farm. Students got to travel to each station and learn a little about what is there. The elementary schoolers enjoyed learning about the different types of animals that are in the FFA farm. Getting to pet the animals is another perk that helps gain the children's interest. However, there are not just animals at the different stations. Tractors and other vehicles that are usually used on a farm are found at the event to give students the entire farm experience.
Archie Fuller, a junior at FHS, was leading a non-animal station. This station was all about All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV) and dirt bike safety. Fuller believes that the importance of agriculture should be taught to the elementary schoolers. Overall, Fuller believes to have had an impact on the kids. “I would hope that [the youth] get a better grip of where their food comes from and what we have to go through to produce it,” Fuller continues “ but they're fourth graders, so ideally I just hope they just gain some sort of interest or at least take some knowledge home that they will remember,” Fuller expresses.
There are many varieties of agriculture throughout the stations. With this wide variety, the fourth graders can learn a little bit about the many types of agriculture. Although there is only a small percentage of farmers in America, every meal is thanks to agriculture. The FFA’s purpose is showing younger generations the importance of agriculture, and to inspire future passion in the field.. Events like Food for America can give this lesson to the students through hands-on learning experiences.
