EATON — On Thursday, Aug. 6, 31 students from both the YWCA and the Boy’s and Girl’s club in Hamilton were bused into the Preble County Fair. The Eaton FFA Chapter organized an Ag. STEM Day at the Preble County Fair for these students with $2,500 in grant money the chapter received when they applied for a grant from the Agricultural and Community Outreach Program.
With this money, the chapter was able to set up eight informational stations around the fairgrounds for the students to go to, which included service animals, horses, poultry/rabbits, beef, agricultural equipment/ GPS technology, pigs, goats/sheep, and dairy.
After the students traveled to the eight station they were treated to lunch at the Community Christian Church tent. After lunch, the students played barn games. Finally, students got on the bus home and received a gift bag full of goodies and informational booklets. Students also received a picture of themselves on a tractor that was taken at the agricultural equipment and GPS technology station.
The day was marked as a success for the Eaton FFA Chapter, as the students who came from Hamilton had a 12.6 percent increase when they were tested on Ag. STEM knowledge after they’d visited the chapter’s stations. Members of the Eaton FFA Chapter had a great experience too, learning that not everyone knew what they considered common knowledge about agriculture. The chapter hopes to continue to reach out and spread their knowledge.
