Author: Sam Anderson
The Gallatin Valley Agriculture Committee’s “Farm Fair” was held on May 9-11.
The Farm Fair is to provide a rural ranch atmosphere where students and teachers learn about agriculture in Montana.
Attendees learn about the food supply chain, see first hand how food is prepared for human consumption, and demonstrate the agricultural communities commitment to protecting our natural resources.
The Montana Wheat and Barley Committee joined Montana State University Plant Science students in educating the next generation on the story of wheat.
Upwards of 900 students in this 3-day event learn the importance of wheat in Montana and why export markets are critical.
The staff educated the youth on the importance of wheat in our diets, what farmer look for in the field, fun facts, and the job opportunities that exist in agriculture.
The fun facts that amazed the students:
- We feed over 90 million people a year!
- Wheat is an ancient grain.
- Each Montanan would have to eat 14 loaves of bread a day to consume our wheat production.
- 80% of our grain leaves the U.S.
A frequent question asked by the students was why isn’t the wheat transported by airplane?
This was a great opportunity to educate the next generation on the sheer volume of wheat produced and the importance of our waterways.
Some students believed they would be able to eat 14 loaves of bread a day, however we did not promote trying that.
At the end of each session the students felt wheat, learned the size of a bushel, saw how wheat turns to flour.
Thank you Gallatin Valley Agriculture Committee for hosting such an impactful event!
