Fairfield High School junior and FFA member Emily White shows her sheep to a group of elementary students during Ag Day at FHS on Wednesday, May 7. (Photo courtesy of Jessi Garchik)

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FAIRFIELD – Elementary school children in Fairfield got to learn about agriculture up close thanks to Fairfield High School’s FFA Chapter.

The high school hosted a new event called “Ag Day” on Wednesday, May 7, and invited students from Washington and Pence elementaries, plus a home school group, to see the high schoolers’ tractors and livestock, learn about agriculture at outdoor booths, and play yard games. FFA Advisor and agriculture instructor Elly Stremsterfer said the day was a huge success, and fulfilled a dream of hers when she took the job last year.

“One of the things I wanted to do was to make sure we gave kids an opportunity to see agriculture and learn how it applies to them, in a fun way,” she said. “This was our first time, and I think it was successful. It was beautiful out, so I couldn’t have asked for a nicer day.”

Fairfield FFA has been planning Ag Day since December, coming up with activities that would appeal to kindergartners through fourth-graders. Nine FFA members agreed to bring tractors and farm implements to show the kids, and others volunteered to bring barnyard animals. Emily White brought sheep. Stremsterfer’s neighbor, Drew Johnson, brought pigs, and Cason Miller brought calves. Miller’s sister Vivian plans to show the calves at the fair.

The yard games set up on the practice football field were a “modified ag Olympics,” Stremsterfer said. This included navigating through water tiles, large tires, and jumping over hay bales.

One row of booths entertained kids with hands-on activities like getting to pet chicks and ducks, learn about vegetables, and try their hand at making butter and ice cream in a bag. Stremsterfer worked with her FFA members to come up with 7-10 points to talk about at each station, to keep the youngsters engaged.

Local businesses also got in on the fun. Farm Credit Services of America provided the vegetable station, and Libertyville Savings Bank grilled food for the FFA members.

Stremsterfer said she received great feedback from the elementary principals, and plans to do this event again next year.