Ride in a virtual combine, sift grain between your fingers and milk Blossom, the mechanical dairy cow, in Agriland at the 2015 Kansas State Fair. Located in the Pride of Kansas building, the cooperative agriculture education exhibit provides an interactive experience for children to learn more about agriculture.
Visitors have the opportunity to learn about livestock feed rations, touch different Kansas-grown grains and walk through the soil tunnel trailer for an under-the-scenes look at Kansas soils.
Agriland is a collaborative effort of the Kansas Beef Council, Kansas Corn Commission, Kansas Cotton, Kansas Dairy Association, Kansas Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom, Kansas Grain Sorghum Commission, Kansas Soybean Commission, Kansas Sunflower Commission, Kansas Wheat, Kansas Conservation Partnership, Kansas Agri-Women and the Kansas Department of Agriculture.
Agriland will be open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 11; from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily on Saturday, Sept. 12, through Saturday, Sept. 19; and from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 20
“Fairgoers get basic farm to fork education at Agriland,” said Robin Blume, Education and Events Coordinator at the Kansas Department of Agriculture. “Agriland provides an interactive opportunity for families to learn about the roles Kansas farmers and ranchers have in producing our food, energy and fiber.”
The Kansas Department of Agriculture advocates and promotes the agriculture industry, the state’s largest industry, employer and economic contributor. Agriland provides Kansans of all ages and backgrounds the opportunity to learn about agriculture in Kansas.
Teachers who visit Agriland can sign up for free lesson plans provided by the Kansas Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom. These lesson plans connect classrooms to Kansas agriculture by exploring various facets of agriculture and learning how important and full of opportunities agriculture is.
For more information about Agriland, check out the exhibit’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/kansasagriland or contact Robin Blume at Robin.Blume@kda.ks.gov or 785-564-6756.