Over 700 third graders from the St. Clair County School System attended the 2nd Annual Farm Day in Odenville last week.

The St. Clair County Conservation District, St. Clair County 4-H, and Career Coach Leann Ford with the St. Clair County School System led a joint effort to conduct the second annual St. Clair County Farm Day at the St. Clair County Arena in Odenville on Thursday, Oct. 17 and Friday, Oct. 18.

“The purpose of Farm Day is to raise awareness and educate our students about where food comes from and the importance of agriculture and taking care of our natural resources,” said Charity Mitcham with St. Clair County Conservation District. “These are objectives that the conservation district and St. Clair County 4-H continually strive to achieve.”

Students went to ten different stations and were able to pet horses, chicks, goats, cows, and a 750-pound hog named Billy. The third graders also explored the Ag in Action trailer, tried the milking simulation cow, learned how pumpkins grow and saw how a miniature cotton gin works.

“We think beginning when our children are young is the most influential way to raise awareness. A lot of our children, even some adults, do not realize where our food comes from,” said Mitcham. “Most of our kids in the county have never been on a farm or seen an farm animal up close. We have quite a few cattle farms in the county along with poultry growers too and our farmers are very proactive about taking care of our soil and water and we want the public to know that.”

Over 100 volunteers including FFA students from Ashville, Springville, Ragland and St. Clair County High School helped with the over 700 students.

Dan Ambrosius an award-winning slingshot competitor from Steele, demonstrated slingshot skills for the students, even shooting a can of soda out of teacher’s hand.

Dr. Taylor and Dr. Padgett, veterinarians from Branchville Animal Hospital, spoke with the students about large animal health and brought some of the medical instruments they use for animal care.

“We would like to thank all our volunteers and the St. Clair County Commission, because without them, this big event would not be possible,” Mitcham said.

For questions about events, contact Charity Mitcham with St. Clair County Conservation District at 205-338-7215 or Becky Staples with St. Clair County 4-H at 205-338-9416.