In the past 25 years, the Finney County Farm Bureau’s Friends on the Farm Day has reached thousands of Kansas elementary students to show the journey their food takes from farm-to-table.
Twenty-five years ago, the Finney County Kansas Farm Bureau Board and Kansas Foundation for Ag in the Classroom decided to host an Ag Day for local fourth grade students. Three months later in 1999 the inaugural Finney County Farm Bureau’s Friends on the Farm Day hosted approximately 250 students. Fast forward to 2024, and the event celebrated its 25th anniversary with almost 800 students.
“The idea came from the local Farm Bureau board, and work they were doing with Kansas Foundation for Ag in the Classroom,” said Jennifer Gerber with Finney County Kansas Farm Bureau. “It was decided on a whim and the entire event was planned in just three months. We wanted kids to understand where their food and products come from and felt fourth grade students would retain and understand the information given.”
The inaugural Friends on the Farm Day hosted 250 students from schools only in Finney County. Overtime Friends on the Farm Day grew to include schools from the surrounding counties of Gray, Haskell and Kearny. In 2024, nearly 800 fourth grade students spent the day learning about where their food comes from, and the farmers who provide it.
Kyle and Michelle Averhoff are Kansas dairy farmers who have volunteered for the event since its establishment. They are still involved today and can testify to the value the experience adds to their community.
“Friends on the Farm Day gives kids an eye-opening experience and helps them understand how food and milk get to their tables,” said Michelle Averhoff, Kansas dairy farmer. “It also, teaches the kids about the many different products that are made from the initial product – like from milk we get cheese, yogurt, and more, and from cotton we get clothes, and also feed for animals.”
Averhoff explains that even though this region of Kansas is home to many aspects of production agriculture, most kids do not get to experience that way of life firsthand.
“Kids don’t always see agriculture even though they are in an agricultural town,” said Averhoff. “Most occupations in the area involve agriculture, but kids are removed. Most volunteers and presenters are community members, and kids can put faces with jobs they didn’t know they had. They relate a job to a person now.”
Volunteer and industry support has been key to the event’s longevity and growth. Expanding the event over the past 25 years meant more group leaders and presenters were needed. The 2024 Finney County Farm Bureau’s Friends on the Farm Day featured support from local Farm Bureau members, community volunteers, high school and college students, as well as, agriculture business and organizations including American Implement, Central Plains Equipment, Dairy MAX, Garden City Coop, Kansas Corn, KanEquip Inc., Kansas Farm Bureau, Kansas Soybean, Natural Resource Conservation Service, Nutrien, Sowers Hay and West Plains Extension. Event leaders, volunteers and sponsors are hard at work preparing for the 2025 event to be held in February.
Event volunteers are passionate about their work in agriculture and take pride in teaching the community the importance of agriculture in everyday life. This year, more than 10 stations were set up to give students hands-on education in caring for livestock, growing crops, operating farm equipment, how food gets from farm to table and more.
Another aspect the event focuses on is teacher training. While students were having fun and learning at student-focused stations, representatives from Kansas Farm Bureau and Dairy MAX provided teachers with agriculture education resources and hands-on ag in the classroom activities they can incorporate into their daily classroom curriculum.
“Dairy MAX encourages dairy farmers to be involved in their communities and share the strong role dairy plays in people’s everyday lives,” said Kamy Whatley, industry image and relations territory manager for Dairy MAX. “Dairy MAX is proud to serve as a resource and support community engagement efforts within the region. Whether that is providing dairy foods and beverages, passing out Dairy Farm Tour Kits or showing others how dairy gets from the farm to the fridge, Dairy MAX is always ready to support.”
To discover how dairy farmers care for their cows, land and communities, visit www.DairyMAX.org.
Photo by: Sheridan Wimmer, Kansas Farm Bureau
