Merced children get closer look at crops, livestock

Whether it was smelling alfalfa, touching sheep, tasting milk or seeing bees up close, the senses of thousands of third-graders were filled up Thursday during FARM2U Day at the Merced County Fairgrounds.

More than 3,000 children from 140 elementary schools throughout Merced County took buses to the event that highlighted food producers, processors and livestock, as well as nonprofits that stress healthy eating and agriculture clubs. There were about 70 presenters.

One class from Gracey Elementary School in Merced oohed and aahed over a wooden and glass enclosure of about 30,000 honeybees inside an exhibit hall. Their teacher, Nickie Seno, said she prepped her students for the sights and sounds they could expect at the event.

The youngsters got lessons in the life cycle of plants, as well as making healthy choices to keep a balanced diet. She said the hands-on displays at the fair helped drive those lessons home. “It’s really meaningful to them,” she said.

Though agriculture is big business in Merced County, school leaders say many youngsters don’t know much about food. The top 12 food commodities in the county total $2.8 billion.

FARM2U was organized by the Merced County Farm Bureau, which was looking to help children connect the dots from the farm to their fork. “We want them to understand where their food comes from,” Executive Director Amanda Carvajal said. “Being that it’s in their backyard, they really should have a better understanding.”

Beyond that lesson, she said, there was education on nutrition and the job opportunities in various food industries, whether that be farmers, chefs, welders or scientists.

One food producer, Jim Alvernaz, showed children the variety of sweet potatoes he grows on his 100-acre farm in Livingston. He talked to them about what sets the sweet potatoes apart from one another, including color and consistency. He also talked about their nutritional value.

Alvernaz said he takes part in the event with hopes the students will learn something about food in Merced County. “It just gives the kids a little more perspective,” he said.

Sweet potatoes are the fifth-largest farm commodity in the county at more than $160 million in 2012, the latest numbers available.

The fairgrounds bustled with activity, as the children were bused in waves. Groups such as the Central California Regional Obesity Prevention Program and Merced County Office of Education gave lessons to children on healthy eating and activity habits. Merced County Animal Control even talked to the third-graders about treating pets humanely.

Children were given samples of milk, grapes, carrots and other food, as well as a cabbage plant to grow at home.

Eleazar Flores accompanied his class of Margaret Sheehy Elementary third-grade students as they handled vegetables and learned about water. Flores said his students looked at the day as a fun field trip, but they were getting some reinforcement of what they’ve learned this year in their science books.

“They don’t have any idea how food gets to our table,” he said, adding they come to class thinking food just appears at the supermarket.

Students who live in any city need a better understanding of the agricultural industry, he said, but the lesson may be all the more important for children like those in his class. He said a large percentage are children of farmworkers.

This story was originally published October 9, 2014 at 8:03 PM with the headline "Merced children get closer look at crops, livestock."