From the front steps of the Charles Sumner School in South Camden, New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Douglas Fisher ushered in National Agriculture Day on March 20, 2009 despite chilly temperatures on the first day of spring.

Fisher noted the importance of agriculture to our state and nation and got the eagerly awaiting third, fourth, and fifth graders to answer various questions about agriculture before they rotated through educational displays.

This National Agriculture Day program was conducted by the Camden County 4-H Youth Development Program and funded by a $500 grant from the South Jersey Resource Conservation and Development Council in their Farming for the Future grant program.

The goals of this educational program were fourfold in educating youth about agriculture, including students:

1) Gaining an increased awareness of U.S. agriculture after being exposed to the many facets of the industry;

2) Becoming informed about New Jersey 's unique agricultural industry, which includes the production of more than 130 different kinds of crops;

3) Creating a better understanding of agriculture's importance to our society and gain a greater appreciation for the efforts of those who provide a safe, affordable food supply;

4) Becoming more aware of potential career opportunities in the agriculture industry

Douglas Fisher with Teaching Assistants from
Brookfield Academy who volunteered for the event.

Much of this information was shared with the third, fourth and fifth graders one week prior to the big event on March 20. Sharon Kinsey, Camden County 4-H Agent, visited with students and conducted three 30-minute presentations. The presentation began with an agricultural literacy quiz where students were asked to debate whether New Jersey has more than 10,000 farms or whether New Jersey farms, on average, are less than 100 acres. Many students answered correctly that New Jersey's nickname is not "The Jersey Tomato" but were surprised that New Jersey has more than 730,000 acres of farmland in the state.

Students realized that there are many jobs and careers related to agriculture, more than just those involving the production of food, such as research and marketing, and that New Jersey farmers do not grow oranges or cotton. However, they did go away learning that the greenhouse and nursery industry are the number 1 crops grown in New Jersey .

Kinsey shared with students her own experiences growing up on a dairy farm and how her life was unique in that she had chores to do on the farm from a very early age, such as feeding calves before school and after school, and helping out wherever needed.

Next the students reviewed numerous agricultural statistics by venturing out on an egg hunt in the school library. Once students found an egg, they returned to their seats and shared the agricultural fact or statistic with their classmates. Each table then shared what they thought was the most interesting fact and were amazed that less than 1% of the population now works in the agricultural industry nationwide, for example.

At the end of the program, students were told that a special guest and various exhibits would be coming to the school on March 20. Students playfully asked if the guest was President Barack Obama.

So on March 20, all 350 students at the Sumner School came outside to visit the animal exhibits provided by Baby Paws Farm, which included chickens, a goat, a sheep, a miniature horse, and rabbits. A line of students waited patiently to hear from Robin Waddell from Rutgers Cooperative Extension as she described all of the fruits and vegetables that are grown in New Jersey and how they can be found in the supermarket when in season. This includes cranberries, blueberries, sweet corn and peaches, to name a few of our well known commodities.

Next up was the educational soils tunnel provided by soil conservation staff from the Camden and Mercer County Soil Conservation Districts and the State Conservation Committee. Students walked through the tunnel, which depicted the various layers of soil. It is designed to simulate what it would look like if one could see underground.

Heather McNeil-Nazareth (right),
Mercer County Soil Conservation District,
leads the children through the soils tunnel.

Finally, the 4-H Youth Development Program and the Camden County Master Gardener Program provided seed packets to get students thinking about what they could plant and nurture at home. Students also got a yummy treat in the form of flavored honey sticks.

Camden Celebrates Agriculture was an effort to present the story of agriculture, its everyday application to our lives, and shine a positive light on an industry important to our state.

. . . and celebrate they did!