Youth learn about beef production during agriculture week educational sessions
4-H and Youth Programming
Shannon Williams
Extension Educator
University of Idaho
SALMON
Abstract
Lemhi County is rural with a total population of 8,027 (2019 statistics). The largest town in the county, Salmon, has a population of 3,096. While the top agricultural commodity in Lemhi county is beef cattle and calves, not all county residents are involved in beef production and not all county youth are raised on ranches.
In 2008, the Lemhi County Extension Advisory committee requested that youth in the county be provided with information on where their food comes from. The first program for fifth graders in the Salmon School District included agriculture in a Snickers™ bar, agriculture web (activity showing how agriculture industry segments are connected) and beef production. In 2013, the idea was launched to take the students on a field trip to University of Idaho Nancy M. Cummings Research, Education and Extension Center (U of I NMCREEC) so they could see cattle and experience learning outside of the classroom. A grant was submitted to the Idaho Beef Council for the cost of busses, bus drivers, port-a-potties and workshop supplies. A team of UI Extension educators, specialists, staff and volunteers were put together to present workshops. The grant was received, and the first beef field day was held in March of 2014.
The goals of the beef field day included:
- Providing youth with an understanding of how ranchers care for their cattle
- Allowing youth to see what cows eat and how they digest their feed
- Offering youth an opportunity to see how science and technology are involved in beef production
With these goals in mind, five interactive workshops were developed. In 2021, the beef field day was offered to both fifth grade and sixth grade. Sixth grade has missed the field trip the year before due to COVID-19. Pre- and post-quizzes were developed and administered to determine how much knowledge the students gained as a result of the educational sessions/presentations. The quizzes were administered by their teachers in the classrooms before and after the event. The average post-quiz scores increased by 28.94% for fifth graders and by 26.33% for sixth graders.
Authors: Shannon Williams
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Shannon Williams Extension Educator, University of Idaho, Idaho, 83467