Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler sits down each week with Southern Farm Network’s Rhonda Garrison to discuss “Today’s Topic.”
For many children across North Carolina, this week marks the beginning of summer vacation. And summer is a good time for kids to learn about agriculture.
Commissioner Troxler says children today are further removed from farm life. It’s important for them to see farms so they can understand where their food and fiber come from.
There are hundreds of agritourism farms across North Carolina, and many of them offer summertime opportunities for kids and their families to see how our food is raised. Right now is a good time to check out farms where you can actually go into the field and pick your own produce. These farms are especially popular during the strawberry and blueberry seasons. Apple and peach orchards also will be popular with visitors as summer continues. Other farms offer dinners and other special events for a variety of ages. To find an agritourism farm near you, log on to www.visitncfarms.com.
If you’re in Raleigh this summer, you can check out a couple of special exhibits at local museums. Once again, the N.C. Museum of History has planted traditional North Carolina crops in its outdoor gardens. These include corn, cotton, tobacco and sweet potatoes, among others. The staff has even added some nursery crops this year. And Marbles Kids Museum recently launched a new hands-on exhibit called “On the Farm.” Located in the museum’s Around Town section, “On the Farm” is designed to provide kids with an understanding of agriculture today. The exhibit features a silo and feeding trough, cows, pigs, hens, an egg run, and soybeans, sweet potatoes and corn. It’s sponsored by the N.C. Soybean Producers Association and the N.C. Pork Council.
Click on the audio player below to listen to Commissioner Troxler and Rhonda discuss opportunities for children to include a little agriculture in their summer plans. Do you have a favorite agriculture-related summer outing? Share it in the comments below.
[Audio:http://info.ncagr.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/Troxler_6-11.mp3|titles=Today’s Topic for June 11]
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