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MIFFLINTOWN --- Fourth-grade students from Juniata County gathered Friday in the crisp fall weather of early October to explore all things agriculture during Ag Exploration Day.
The elementary school students from Juniata and East Juniata elementary schools, Juniata Christian School and homeschooled students found themselves at the Reinford Farms in Mifflintown, looking at and touching a diverse array of agricultural products.
The agriculture career awareness event was sponsored by the Juniata Valley Chamber of Commerce's Business and Education Committee and the Juniata County Conservation District.
"We had roughly 200 to 250 fourth-graders," said Jacob Conklin, business services consultant for the Juniata/Mifflin Counties PA CareerLink. "We had a lot of presenters and employers here who had a good time, and the students really enjoyed themselves."
This marked the return of the first Ag Exploration Day since 2019. Even Pennsylvania Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Lisa Graybeal popped in to check out the festivities.
"She had great things to say," Conklin added. "She hopes to see more events like this across the state."
The event was structured around rotating groups of students to the different stations set up around the farm. Each station had a display on a different agriculture aspect, along with many pictures, pamphlets, plants and animals.
The digester, owned by Reinford Farms, and Center for Dairy Excellence were two of the more popular stations for students, Conklin said, "who got to see how they take food waster and convert it into energy. They liked that it was a 'big machine that tears stuff apart.'"
The Center for Daily Excellence, a non-profit organization initiated by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, held a chemistry-like presentation, showing the students how milk reacts to different chemicals used during processing.
"They liked the science aspect of it," Conklin said. "Seeing how the milk changed different colors due to the different enzymes. They saw experiments and solutions for the different tests that they run."
The event was free for all students to attend. As they left, each child received a grab bag full of agriculture products and educational materials.
"It was a really good event," Conklin added. "We had a beautiful day. We're really thankful to the Reinford Farms for hosting us as well as all of the employers and organizations that volunteered their time. Without them, the event would not be possible."
Conklin also acknowledged the efforts of Mindy Musser of the Juniata County Conservation District "for truly making the event happen, without her dedication to the importance of ag in the county, the event would not be possible, and the other volunteers who committed their time on this beautiful day."