Not many of the students at Seymour-Redding Elementary School have the opportunity to see farm animals up close, unless it’s at the Jackson County Fair or at a petting zoo.

Students who attended the annual Ag Day on Wednesday got a chance to not only see farm animals up close, but they got to pet them and learn the many ways animals can be producers for the community.

More than 490 fifth-graders from Seymour Community Schools and local parochial schools, including Immanuel Lutheran, St. Ambrose Catholic and St. John’s Sauers, were bused to the new ag science and research farm school building at Freeman Field so they could learn about agriculture from more than 20 FFA members, Rose Acre Farms employees and Jackson County 4-H members.

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Those volunteers had the opportunity to introduce the students to multiple aspects of agriculture, including the dairy industry, poultry/egg industry, pork industry, beef industry, sheep and goat production, rabbit production and care, small animal pet care, biosecurity in agriculture and plant germination, said Jeanna Eppley, FFA adviser and agriculture teacher at Seymour High School.

“It is important for the FFA members to practice leadership skills and educate the fifth-graders about these different industries so they have a better understanding of where their food comes from,” Eppley said.

Through this educational opportunity, they advocate for agriculture and the future of the industries in Jackson County.

“We are fortunate to live in a community with a diversity of agriculture industries,” Eppley said. “Through this program, we hope to gain support and the student interest to further their education or training to help meet our communities’ needs.”

Ag Day is important to help kids make the connection about where their food comes from, said Micah Wallace, Seymour Middle School FFA adviser and agriculture teacher.

“There are so many generations far removed from the farm nowadays that there are a lot of youth who don’t truly understand how their food is produced,” Wallace said. “They don’t know where their food is coming from and who is producing it.”

Many of the high school FFA members helping out at Ag Day brought their own animals, so it’s kind of putting a face to the product, Wallace said.

“At some stations they go into, they are told, ‘Here is the animal, and this is what it’s going to produce,’” Wallace said. “Then they’ll show the kids examples, like dairy products or byproducts from cattle, so it’s really just helping us try to see the full picture of why we have farms.”

Sophomore Bridget Marshall has been an FFA member since eighth grade and was assisting Ryan Hackman at the Rose Acre Farms poultry booth.

Marshall said she has helped with the event in the past and enjoys being in FFA because of the animals and also because the organization helps teach skills and allows her to meet people she might not get to meet or talk to otherwise.

Seymour-Redding fifth-graders Gracie Adams and Noelani McPherson found Hackman’s presentation to be especially interesting.

Gracie said she liked learning how chickens produce their eggs and all of the different products made with eggs.

What caught Noelani’s attention was information about the egg-hatching process.

Redding student Wes Proffer said before Wednesday, he thought cows were just used for the meat and milk. He found it interesting that cow byproducts, like the fat and ground-up bones, could be used in products such as shampoo and crayons.

Mark Petro, a student at Margaret R. Brown Elementary School, said he really liked getting to see the pigs at the swine station.

“I learned how they have to put a certain spray on the pigs,” he said. “The spray helps protect their skin. I liked seeing the cow, too.”

Each station was led by FFA students who gave short presentations about their specific topics and then answered questions.

Sophomore R.J. Beavers, a two-year FFA member, said this was his first time helping with Ag Day.

“I like FFA because it’s hands-on, and the farmer’s life is kind of going away, and it’s something to help out with,” he said. “Today, I’m helping out with the kids, and they’re going by class from station to station, and they’re learning about different animals, byproducts and how food comes from all around us.”

The swine booth was manned by FFA member Kourtney Otte. She has been in FFA since eighth grade.

“My aunt and uncle raised pigs, and so I started helping when I was in kindergarten,” Otte said. “I like FFA because I get to meet people and help further kids’ education in agriculture.

Otte said being an FFA member has allowed her to see that she would like to become an agriculture teacher someday.

Ag Day continues to be a tradition for Seymour FFA and has been conducted for more than 30 years.