FFA Food for America program brings agriculture to elementary students

Flowers+and+boutonnieres+showcased+at+the+Community+Show.

Grace Gaydosh

Flowers and boutonnieres showcased at the Community Show.

by Julie Walker, Christian Nolan, and Bailey Spore

The New Market-Linganore community show was open for elementary school students on October 2. At the show, there were stations for the children like face painting, friendship bracelets, and a “corn” box (a sandbox of toys but made with corn kernels). Outside they could find hay rides, a horse, a mini pony, a goat and two bunnies.

FFA and NAHS students helped out during the show, ran their stations, provided the animals and helped make the program a success.

This was the community show’s 45th annual show program in the Linganore New Market Community Show. The purpose of this is to unite the communities and districts surrounding Linganore High School to present a show of their talents and agricultural produce. Their promise is to be educational, entertaining, and to provide enjoyment to everyone.

FFA Ambassador Austin Welty said, “One thing I think that we could do to get more kids involved in agriculture is ask them simple questions of what their interests are and compare that to a different field of agriculture.”

The presentation is sponsored by the Maryland Agricultural Fair Board, the Linganore and New Market Granges, the Linagnore FFA and the 4-H clubs in the area.

Roughly 300 children attended from New Market and Green Valley Elementary schools.

“Our students always have a great time at your community show. We know and appreciate all the hard work the students and staff at LHS do to make our first graders feel welcome. All the crafts and activities are well liked, but the hayride and petting the farm animals is usually the class favorite,” said first grade teacher, Marie Wiehler, a teacher at Green Valley Elementary.

“Introducing the children to what we do and the leadership skills that we earn when we are in this organization are important, and teaching kids how to take care of animals is the first step in the right direction. We think it’s a really great program and we should make it more known,”  said  FFA Co-Ambassador Kelsey Wolfe.