Farm 2 Table: Education Program to Begin New Season

Everyone has dinner but do we really know how the food arrives on the table? If you have children and want to educate and have them appreciate where their meals come from then the Erie County Agricultural Society has the perfect project and I bet once they see how much work goes into making their meals; they will be more prone to "eat all of their vegetables".

During October the Erie County Agricultural Society will begin to welcome over 6,700 Western New York students to the Hamburg Fairgrounds for its 2017/2018 award winning educational program Farm 2 Table program designed for kindergarten through 5th grade students. Fully funded by the Erie County Agricultural Society, the program’s goal is to teach students about the importance of agriculture in their lives, reinforce healthy nutrition and to engage their natural curiosity through a multimodal approach.

From The Hamburg Fairgrounds: 

 All Farm 2 Table lessons are age specific and aligned with Common Core mathematics and English language art standards. These out of classroom, “field trips” take place inside the Erie County Fair’s Agriculture Discover Center.  Since its inception in 2010, 36,776 students have attended various Farm 2 Table programs. In addition to a staff of educators and agriculture professionals, 35 community volunteers assist with Farm 2 Table throughout the year.

 This year’s Farm 2 Table themes will include:  

October: New York State of Harvest - Focuses on pumpkins, apples, corn and other crops that are abundant throughout the State. 

November: Thanksgiving Favorites - From vegetables to turkeys, children learn about holiday food, thanksgiving customs and where it comes from. 

December: Trees! Trees! Trees! - The program takes learning about Christmas trees a step further. The program looks at how trees are used for food production, in our homes and even in the classrooms. Learning stations include evergreens, tree products and forest ecology. 

February: The Sweet Side of Agriculture - Maple syrup, honey and other plant based sweeteners are highlighted during the sessions.  

March: Pizza Starts on the Farm - Pizza is a perfect analogy to agriculture! Each ingredient goes through processes in order to create that delicious pie. Students learn about the local farming contributions to pizza, the steps from farm to the store, and how those ingredients meet to make a culinary delight. 

April: New Friends on the Farm - A variety of different farm animals come to the Fairgrounds during the session. Students interact with dairy calves, chicks, and goats to learn what makes them special and how we use their products in our lives.  

May: Let’s Get Growing! - Spring is the season for planting and growing. Students learn about seeds and germination, parts of a plant, and the importance of flowers. 

June: Delightful Dairy! - New York ranks 4th in the nation for milk production.  Held in conjunction with National Dairy Month, students learn about cows, the importance of dairy in our diets, and how delicious dairy products are made. 

Registration for the 2018/2019 season of Farm 2 Table will begin March 2018. Interested schools and organization can contact Amber Klein at (716)649-3900 ext. 6499, aklein@ecfair.org or Maria Lucero at (716)649-3900 ext. 6413, mlucero@ecfair.org.