[youtube]http://youtu.be/4cC_fOpdgF4[/youtube]
SAN ANTONIO — This year’s annual Kids, Kows & More program Nov. 19-21, presented by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and Southwest Dairy Farmers, will draw more than 1,500 elementary school students and 100-plus educators from schools throughout Bexar County, coordinators said.
The event will be in the Cattle Show Barn #2, located behind the Freemen Coliseum and AT&T Center on the San Antonio Livestock Exposition grounds, 3201 E. Houston St., San Antonio. It will be presented from 9:30 a.m.-noon each of the three days, followed by a lunch inside the facility.
Kids, Kows & More shows youth the importance of agriculture in everyday life, plus helps them develop a respect for nature. (Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service photo)
“The Kids, Kows & More program is geared toward third and fourth grade students and their teachers,” said Mike Shockey, AgriLife Extension youth outreach coordinator for Bexar County. “It gives kids, especially ‘city kids,’ an idea of rural life, as well as showing them the importance of agriculture in Bexar County and beyond.”
Shockey said the purpose of the program is to “provide a fun and interesting way for kids to learn about agriculture, its importance in everyday life, and the impact it has on food, clothing and shelter.”
He said schools in every school district of Bexar County were contacted and invited to participate.
“A total of 16 schools responded and these will be the ones participating in this year’s Kids, Kows & More program,” Shockey said. “We will have several education stations providing students with information and instruction on the dairy industry, food crops, cattle, wildlife, water conservation, health and nutrition, and more.”
Educational presentations will include a mobile dairy classroom with milk cow, cattle pen with Texas longhorns, a cheese-making animatronic display, wheat product display, food and nutrition displays, entomology exhibit and water conservation display.
“Agricultural education and developing youth interest in agriculture are vital as less than 1 percent of the U.S. workforce is involved in food and fiber production for the country’s ever-increasing population,” said Lupe Landeros, AgriLife Extension director for Bexar County.
Landeros noted that the age of the average American farmer is currently about 58 years old, so it is vital to the future that young people know about farming, ranching and other agriculture-related activities and possibly even consider a career in commercial agriculture.
“The program also has TEKs-aligned lessons that help kids learn about farming, ranching and dairy production,” she said. “As importantly, this program also helps teach young people a respect for nature and helps them understand the need to conserve our resources and protect our environment.”
For more information, contact Mike Shockey at 210-467-6575 or meshockey@ag.tamu.edu.
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