Living Ag Classroom educates farmers, ranchers of tomorrow at KMOT Ag Expo

MINOT, N.D. (KMOT) - Fourth graders visiting the KMOT Ag Expo this week got a crash course in where food from the grocery store comes from.

For nearly three decades, students from across the region have come to the KMOT Ag Expo to learn about all things agriculture.

Your News Leader brings us inside the 29th annual Living Ag Classroom.

Before the tour started, Mylah Hieb said she knows a little bit about farming.

“You have to use big machines and you eat the plant,” said Mylah.

The adults offered lessons, but teens with the Minot FFA gave their own lessons about agriculture as well.

Aubree Lunde, one of their members, said it’s her first time teaching.

“Some of the questions we can’t answer because we don’t know,” said Aubree.

Aubree said she misses being on the other side, learning. Still, the seeds are planted for six minutes at each station.

Caylin Nadu said the trivia game was her favorite.

“They teach us about outside and how to grow stuff and animals and stuff,” said Caylin.

Nancy Jo Bateman, whose been teaching at the classroom since it began in 1994, said teachers can water the soil of information.

“They can contact a farmer or rancher in their school district and neighborhood and maybe even set up a farm tour or things like that,” said Bateman.

Bateman said the class started in Minot and has since spread out through the state, reaching 4,000 4th graders annually.

Allie Doerman said this was fun and she learned a lot about pollination.

“It takes over 1000 bees to make one pound of honey,” said Allie.

Oh, my sweetness!

Ten different ag organizations presented to the students this year.