Over 1,000 students learn more about Tennessee agriculture

CHESTER COUNTY, Tenn. — More than a thousand students had class outside Tuesday for a special session.

“This is our first annual Chester County 4-H Ag Day,” Steve Rickman with the UT Extension in Chester County said.

The UT Extension sponsors 4-H in Chester County Schools each year. Tuesday, they wanted to get the kids outside for a hands-on experience.

“Some of these kids have never seen a cow,” Rickman said. “They’ve never seen a tractor or bees or pigs or anything like that, so this is their opportunity.”

Students have been learning about different aspects of Tennessee’s agriculture in class. They rotated between different stations getting to hear from experts.

Around 1,100 students came out for the Ag Day and say they learned about a variety of things.

“I have checked out things about bees, stuff about chickens and learned about the safety of wearing helmets and seat belt,” Ashleigh Barha, a fourth grader, said.

“I’ve also seen some animal skins from animals that live around here, some Tennessee wildlife,” fourth grader Cooper Thompson said.

Other students say this will help them in their futures.

“Because we might have this as a career when we grow up, and if we don’t know about it, then things might go wrong,” Kenslee Santos, a fourth grader, said.

Principal Tommie Kirk says he hopes that once the students leave they have a better appreciation for how things end up in their refrigerator.