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At Martin County Fair: FFA Day to feature Ag safety

The Martin County Fair kicks off in full force Tuesday. As usual, there are multiple things to take in and enjoy each day.

FFA Day is one of those events, allowing people and their children not only to learn more about agriculture, but to see what area FFA students have been up to.

Martin County West ag teacher Stephanie Wohlhuter shares how the day came to be, and what will be happening this year.

“We worked a few years ago with the fair board to create the FFA Day at the fair because we wanted to put all of our efforts and activities into one day to highlight the accomplishments of our students,” she said. “It starts out at 8 a.m. with an FFA livestock show, and we have classes in goats, beef cattle, sheep, swine, and when that’s done we have an FFA rabbit show at about 10:30 a.m. FFA members can also show dairy cattle and dairy goats at the end of the 4-H dairy show.”

Wohlhuter noted that the livestock shows take up a majority of the morning, but the day will be far from over.

“At 11 a.m. behind the swine barn, we have a tractor driving contest,” she continued. “The participation varies each year, but the kids have to drive a tractor and a trailer through a course, and it includes backing up and turning at tight angles. It gives them a chance to work on their driving skills.

“Then from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., we have an activity station, and we would love to see elementary students at the fair during that time. This year we’re going to have four different stations and they are sponsored by the three different FFA chapters in Martin County.”

Wohlhuter said each station this year will feature an agricultural safety activity.

“One of the stations is going to be trying to rescue a little person from a miniature grain bin of corn, just to see how difficult it is for someone to get out once they’ve fallen down into the corn,” she said. “The other three stations will be similar hands on activities, and at the end we’ll have a prize for the kids that complete all four stations. They’ll have a card they bring to us and we have something a little bit different this year to give them as a reward.

“Then our last activity, at sometime between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. at Keitzer Arena, we’ll have Agriculture Olympics. It’s a chance for all three FFA chapters to put together a team and compete against each other in some fun activities. Last year, we had wheelbarrow races and butter carving and different things like that, and we usually get around 50 kids from the area chapters to come in and watch and cheer on their chapter members.”

Wohlhuter also said there will be some FFA members helping out on Saturday to assist with Bacon Capital events for Bacon Day at the fair.

“There’s going to be a big tent right inside the main gate with some pretty cool activities in the afternoon, and people can participate for free,” she said. “Then Marty the Bacon Capital mascot will be at the fair that day.”

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