September 22, 2022
By: Dwayne Page
A day on the farm!
More than 200 DeKalb County third graders went on a field trip Wednesday to the Jimmy Herndon farm in the Blue Springs Community for a day of learning and fun.
Farm Day has become an annual local event sponsored by the DeKalb County Farm Bureau and many other community supporters to expose youngsters to farm life giving them a chance to meet farmers, see farm animals up close, and take part in agriculture related activities.
Leigh Fuson, Chairman of the DeKalb County Young Farmers and Ranchers organization, said in a day and age when many are removed from the farm, teaching kids about agriculture is more important than ever.
“We want to let them know where food comes from. That it doesn’t just come from the grocery store. Most kids are five to six generations removed from the farm now, so this lets them see a real working farm, where the food comes from and the work that goes into it,” she said.
“We had around 220 kids here, all third graders from Northside Elementary and DeKalb West Schools. They got to touch the farm animals, make butter from cream, shell corn, and see everything firsthand. I think the teachers and parents who came with them enjoyed it as much as the kids,” said Fuson.
Farm Day was also supported by the DeKalb Young Farmers and Ranchers, DeKalb 4-H and FFA, Prichard Foods, Harmony Lane Farm, USDA Farm Service Agency, Natural Resources Conservation Service Soil and Water Conservation District, TN Forestry Dept, TN Wildlife Resources Agency, DeKalb County Fire Department, Caney Fork Electric, Edgar Evins State Park, Cummins Falls State Park, DeKalb/Rutherford Farmers Co-op, First Bank, Tisdale Dairy Farm, and numerous other volunteers.