(March 13, 2008)

ALICE--Some area elementary students from the Coastal Bend got some hands on experience in farming and ranching today as part of tour to teach them about the importance of agriculture in our lives. 

These 4th graders from Brooks, Duval and Jim Wells Counties got to attend this Ag Day event at the Jim Wells County Fairgrounds in Alice. For many of these kids, this was their first exposure to the world of agriculture. They learned among other things, how cows produce milk and how farmers produce grain, and cotton. There were also lessons on wildlife and water conservation.

"The main message to this program is everybody is involved in agriculture from the food that we eat everyday to the clothes that we wear and the environment that we live in," said Rogelio Mercado who is the Jim Wells County Extension Agent. "We all take a part in agriculture and the environment."

About nine-hundred students attended this Fifth Annual Ag Fair over the past two days. The event was sponsored by the Jim Wells County Farm Bureau and the Jim Wells County Extension Office.