Agricultural Education
Overall Sponsor: Frederick County Farm Bureau
Programs
Chaperone Guides
Chaperone Guides are used for the elementary school field trips during The Great Frederick Fair, Frederick County’s Largest Agricultural Classroom. Approximately 6,000 elementary school students attend the fair on field trips and use the chaperone guides to take them around, visiting the 5 zones of learning.
Area 1:
- The Milky Way (bldg. 35)
- Sheep, Goats & Fiber – Tent
- The Birthing Center – Tent
- Swine (bldg. 25)
Area 2:
- My Plate Garden
- City Streets/Country Roads (CSCR bldg.)
- Machinery Row
Area 3:
- Beef Cattle (bldg. 18)
- Longhorns/British Breeds – Tent
Area 4:
- Farm & Garden (bldg. 14A)
- Poultry & Rabbits (bldg. 14)
- 4-H & FFA (bldg. 12)
- Home Arts & Crafts (bldg. 9)
Area 5:
- Lunch in the Grandstand
Area 6:
- Horse Tent (Infield)
- Outdoor Equine Arena (Infield)
2019 Sponsors: Farm Credit – Printing Sponsor; South Mountain Creamery – Kit Sponsor
Spuddy Buddy
One Foot, Two Foot, Bare Foot, Shoe Foot
“One Foot, Two Foot, Bare Foot, Shoe Foot” is a learning activity to promote reading and writing and math skills, building on the theme of the The Foot Book by Dr. Seuss.
The activity booklet directs students and their parents to different stations at the fair where they can measure footprints. Activity booklets include charting, patterns and writing activities and can be picked up at one of the guest relation centers at the fair.
Sponsors: Fred. Co. Office of Economic Development & Woodsboro Bank
One Foot Two Foot Bare Foot Shoe Foot Book
It's Fair Game
The It’s Fair Game…Banking on Agriculture’s Future, is a sticker brochure that students, teachers and parents use as they visit different learning stations highlighted on the fairgrounds.
A map is used to find the stations and integrated academic standards are emphasized at each of the locations.
Sponsors: Fred. Co. Office of Economic Development & Frederick County Bank
Fair in a Box
This educational component launched at the 2012 fair, “Fair in a Box.” Put a Fair in a Box and what do you get? Science. Technology. Engineering. Mathematics. … STEM. Put a Fair in a Box learning kit in a school classroom and what do you get? Students THINKING like a scientist. Students WRITING like a scientist. Students TALKING like a scientist. Students READING like a scientist. Refer to The Great Frederick Fair as the Fair in a Box and what do you get? Fair-goers making real connections to their life, agriculture and science.
For K-second grade students in Frederick County Public Schools, that’s exactly what they got pre-Great Frederick Fair, during their fair field trips, and post fair … 80 classrooms outfitted with Fair in a Box kits filled with artifacts and materials focusing on the fair’s 44-acre scientific “mini labs.” {Boxes are only distributed to classes that attend the GFF field trip} A creative way to introduce young students into science, the fair’s field trips are designed to teach different grade levels different science techniques. This self-guided tour also engages the non-agricultural going public into this exercise by utilizing the Fair in a Box Guide.
No matter what age, or what grade level, fair-goers were encouraged to Think like a Scientist … look at the fair as a science lab. They were encouraged to seek their scientific information through reading, observation, exploration and investigation when visiting the various mini labs. For the pre-fair classroom tours, each Fair in a Box kit contained items including but not limited to feed corn, straw, toy farm machinery, pre-packaged coffee creamers, hay, sweet feed, livestock ear tags and, horse hair.
Sponsors: South Mountain Creamery
Ag... It's What's for Lunch!
Ag… It’s What’s for Lunch! is the newest agriculture education program, replacing the Let’s Grow A Pizza lesson, a third grade curriculum. Learning box kits are placed in third grade classrooms, complete with fun and engaging learning tools of matching food groups/ingredients with specific recipe cards for two to four players each.
Virtual Ag Education Tour
An interactive fairgrounds map that will take you on a virtual agriculture education tour!
(Created by Frederick County Public Schools)
Exhibits
Check out the variety of exhibits featured at The Great Frederick Fair!
Kenley T. Hubble LLC Birthing Center
The fair’s livestock Birthing Center, is an extension of the City Streets, Country Roads Agriculture Awareness Exhibit, located off Machinery Row it is an educational endeavor where the public can witness up close farm animals giving birth and caring for their young. Dr. Cindy Burnsteel of the Western Maryland Veterinary Medical Association helps the Birthing Center run smoothly. She and members of the veterinary association will be on hand throughout the week, volunteering to assist the animals through the birthing process and to answer questions from the public.
If you’ve never experienced the giving of birth first hand, the Birthing Center is a “must see” educational and experiential exhibit at the annual county fair. Each day a calf will be born, right in front of huge anticipating audiences. It’s the miracle of life at its best. For many, it’s the first time they’ve ever seen anything being born. On the farm, it’s a way of life. Fair-goers will also get to see a mother pig (sow) give birth, and a mother sheep (ewe) deliver their young. Bleachers will be provided for public viewing convenience.
Sponsors: Kenley T. Hubble, LLC
Milky Way
This expanded innovative exhibit showcases Frederick County’s Diary Industry. When you visit the Milky Way you will see and experience:
- Representation of the six major dairy breeds and information about them
- Hands on activities
- Dairy recipes
- Exhibits about dairy products
- And much more…
Do you have a COW in your refrigerator?
Visit the milky way to see if you have a cow in your refrigerator.
Beachy Companies Milking Facility
Visit this state-of-the-art milking facility for a glimpse of the twice-a-day milking ritual with dairy experts on hand to explain what is going on. The facility built in 2001 provides our Dairy Exhibitors a clean sanitized place to milk their cows during fair week. Monies from the milk are used to maintain the milking facility and to support the Frederick County 4-H Dairy program by providing for additional learning experiences and scholarships for the dairy youth in Frederick County.
Did you know Maryland dairy cows produced an average of 7 gallons of milk or 100 glasses each day? To produce this much milk, a cow consumes 35 gallons of water, 20 pounds of grain and concentrated feeds and 35 pounds of hay and silage in one day. The first cow arrived in the U.S. in 1611. Now, there are over 10 million dairy cows in the U.S.
Each person in Maryland drank an average of 23 gallons of milk last year. Maryland can boast that the first commercial ice cream plant in the world was established in Baltimore by Jacob Fussell in 1841. Today, one of the largest milk processing plants east of the Mississippi River is located in Laurel.
2019 Sponsors: Beachy Companies
City Streets, Country Roads
The national-award-winning, City Streets, Country Roads exhibit is the place to be if you want to learn more about agriculture during The Great Frederick Fair. The 80 x 60 foot exhibit area will be packed full of live animal exhibits and educational displays for the full run of the fair.
This is an exhibit the public always looks forward to, with educational displays that include more animal exhibits, hands on activities, and workshops for the whole family. Each year, some 40,000 fair-goers visit City Streets, Country Roads!
Farm animals of all kinds will be at the exhibit for fair-goers to take a peek at, from a miniature donkey to baby chicks. Almost daily, the public will be able to see eggs hatch into baby chicks. This is one of the most popular displays at the exhibit that children especially enjoy.
There are plenty of fun activities during fair week for children of all ages to enjoy!
- Sunday, Sept. 15, is the stick horse workshop for ages 1-10 starting at 1 p.m.
- The kids’ tractor pedal pull is at 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21, along Machinery Row. Registration begins at noon.
- It’s Kids Day on Friday, Sept. 20, and fair-goers can also take in some non-traditional 4-H demonstrations. Friday is also the fair’s ag careers fair, giving students an opportunity to learn about the vast career paths agriculture. There will be representatives on hand to answer questions and to guide visitors through the event.
The Sukup Agri-Theater provides Fair goers the opportunity to learn about the grain industry from inside a life sized grain bin.
2018 Sponsors Include:
BB&T Frederick Underwriters; Dairy Maid Dairy; Delaplaine Foundation; Doody’s Mechanical Services; Farmers Co-op Association; Farm Credit; LSWG CPA; Offut, Horman, Burdette & May; Washington Gas
It's Fiber! Functional and Fun
Formerly known as “It’s Fiber Optics!”
Located outside Barn 27
This expanded innovative exhibit showcases wool fibers and how they are utilized in our lives everyday.
Have you ever thought about where your clothes come from?…sheep, goats, rabbits, alpaca, llama, camel, corn, soy, wood pulp, dog, cotton, etc.
Come experience animal and plant fibers at all stages of production and learn what nature and your clothes have in common. Maybe you will find a sheep in your closet! Lots of free hands on activities are offered in this exhibit.
2019 Sponsors: BB&T Frederick Underwriters
My Plate Garden
Created in 2013 as a partnership between Seed of Life Nurseries & United Way of Frederick County
MY Plate Garden, and Agriculture … It’s What’s for Lunch! lunch box program, provided educational engagement through visual aids, e-books and lesson plans unlike any other program at our fair. MY Plate Garden served as a demonstration garden for the community, teaching about the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s balanced diet, promoting a healthier lifestyle and educating the importance of agriculture in our lives.
The garden models the USDA’s MY Plate daily nutritional recommendation diagram, divided into five sections: fruits, grains, vegetables, proteins and dairy. Walkways separating the food groups allowed fairgoers to view the garden. Educational signage identified the plants, and hosts were on-hand to interact with fairgoing public. A hand painted mural facing the garden was done through volunteer services of local artists, complimented the showcase area.
Specifically targeting local low income areas of Lucas Village, Waverly and Hillcrest, the garden which was started from scratch this past June served as an educational tool, teaching youngsters how to start, plant and grow their own garden in areas where healthy food isn’t readily available, and some of which are declared by the CDC as Food Deserts. The MY Plate Garden gave neighborhood youngsters a chance to participate in hands-on planting and maintenance experiences, while learning when, what and how to plant a successful garden. Products from the garden were either sold through various local Farmers Markets, or were donated to the City of Frederick’s Soup Kitchen
Click on the button below to use the My Plate Garden SuperTracker to help plan, analyze, and track your diet and physical activity.
My foods. My fitness. My health.
• Get your personalized nutrition and physical activity plan.
• Track your foods and physical activities to see how they stack up.
• Get tips and support to help you make healthier choices and plan ahead.
Reflections
Some excerpts from the culinary students reflection papers on the Fair field trip:
The fair project was a great learning experience for everyone in the culinary arts program. Not only did we have an opportunity to talk to people in the agricultural field. We also got the chance to speak to food vendors and learn more about the culinary field. There were many examples of things that I enjoyed and things I did not enjoy. Firstly the different environment was a nice change of pace, and the chance to eat some fair food during school was just a bonus. Another thing I really enjoyed was the fact that we really had a lot of creative freedom with what we wanted to do in our commercials. This project could have a great effect on me as a culinarian in life from now on. I actually spoke to someone in the pig barn and they sort of quizzed me on the different parts of a pig and what meats come from that area. And it alone was a great experience and taught me even more than what we had learned in class. We also got to learn a little more about possible employment opportunities in the future, such as working a food truck or a tent at the fair. I will definitely think more about where the meat I get comes from due to this project and it could help me with work down the road.
In the one day we were there we learned so much about not only food but how things become food. Between the different barns and buildings and interviews and question we asked I gained so much knowledge. For example when we talked to Jeff Bradshaw about his honey straws he was able to explain the whole process of how they were made. Then in the dairy barn fellow CTC students told us about their dual purpose cows and how they used them for not only dairy but also meat. It was a very educational and I would highly suggest to take it with future students. This trip helped me become a better chef and will help me understand what more I have to do as a chef then cook. This trip showed me is I have to explore and show my personality off and express myself for what I love to do. The only way to learn is to be taught and by asking those questions you gain knowledge, for example we asked Mr. Bradshaw about his honey straws and he explained how they were made which I never even know that these straws existed. That’s where you had to open up and come out of your bubble with not being shy and asking people things. I think as years go on this trip could help many people such as the vendors, the great Frederick fair, and even your name out and into the mouths of people.
The assignment was a great learning experience. I liked that I got to interact with the people in the industry. I also liked the fact that we got to know a little bit more of the farm aspect. I liked the fact that the people working the vendor were really nice and friendly .I liked the idea of interviewing the vendor. I loved the idea of having both the AM and he PM classes going to the fair. Having the PM class go to the fair even for about forty five minutes, and it still gives them an idea of what to expect for the next year. This assignment has helped me interact more with my classmates. This assignment has caused people to interact with each other and get rid of their differences.
On Monday our class went to the fair and I believe our trip was very beneficial to understanding more of what goes into all food and restaurant marketing. I have learned that it is not nearly as easy as it looks and a lot more time in effort go into planning and producing any advertisement than I ever thought. All in all I believe that our field trip to the fair was a great project/chance to understand where our food comes from. Also that we understand more of how food marketing and commercial making is actually produced in the real world and how to go about it. The help of Brian Mo in the editing of our final commercials was invaluable as he really has a lot of experience in making and recording commercials of all types for many different types of vendors. I believe that our final project will be more than acceptable and I am surprised that I actually enjoyed making these commercials and food marketing and it’s nice to know that it could be a possible career path in my future and I may have never thought of it before.
I absolutely loved this project. Not only did I love this project because the fair is my favorite place to go and be, but I loved that it brought a whole new perspective to me about the fair. It made me look at the animals and the other farm exhibits in a new light of how these things are actually of importance to our community and environment and how they help us out in having the freshest food. I also really enjoyed getting out of our classroom and see a different side of the food industry. As a student I want to say that I wished we had more time at the fair but I do understand one day is good enough. How this project helped me be a better culinarian is I learned how to better talk up my food/ sell my food to customers and expand my vocabulary describing foods. This project also expanded my knowledge on the animals that have to do with just about most of the products that we use in the kitchen and it showed me more about why they are used for what they are used for and that they are hard to take care and very valuable animals. To expand on from that this project changed the way I look at the farm animals too, instead of looking at them as just animals and being cute I look at them as how important they are to us and all that they really supply for us every day. Another way this project made me a better culinarian is it showed me that there is more options in the food industry than just cooking, I could go out and write food commercials, make food commercials or go out and try food and advertise the business. Not only could I do all that but it showed me that people/ vendors make a lot of money for being at the fair and selling their product and that I could have my own little food stand at the fair and become known.
I really like the freedom that you gave us and having the radio guy come in. This project helped me be a better culinary student by getting out there and seeing what other opportunities and jobs or places you could work and it opened my perspective of fast food, especially at a fair. Most of it was very quick Pace, get it out the door and some of it wasn’t like just hot dogs it was Chinese food, it was like full-on breakfast food plus Crepes and then the two barbecue places like they were on point. Also I got to see what other people do in their kitchen and that can help you think about what you want to do in yours.
Overall I highly enjoyed this project and I recommend to keep doing it with future students. Some of the things that made this project so enjoyable was first off we had the opportunity to go to The Great Frederick Fair. I also liked that we had the chance to talk to employees that were in the same field as us students. It really put into perspective that this industry can break off into such a variety of different businesses. Having the free reign to walk around with just my partner was something I liked as well. This gave us more of that one on one feel when talking to the vendors and allowing us to really connect more to the people we were interviewing. This leads to my favorite part about this whole experience besides us getting to eat the entire day and that would be when we got to ask the worker about the vendor we chose. During this time we were allowed to really connect with all the workers at the vendor. Everyone seemed happy that we were their asking them questions about their business and all seemed eager to talk to us but there was one worker, she seemed like the head person in charge that took time to really go in depth on some of the questions we asked. I guess the reasoning behind this being my favorite part of the trip was to hear how passionate she was about how they cook their meats.
The past Monday I had the chance to go to the Great Frederick Fair. What an amazing experience since I never been to a county fair. Although, I didn’t ride the rides, I saw the farm animals and of course the food, it was truly fun. What I liked about the fair was the food, the people, and the atmosphere. The people that were working there were so nice. Everyone that entered and even the security guards were nice. They would just wave and have the biggest smile. Lastly, the atmosphere. Yes, it was raining a little bit, it didn’t bother me that much. The fresh air, seeing all kinds of vendors and what they offer was fun. I couldn’t help but just looking around everywhere I go.
The things I liked about this project was mostly that we actually went on a field trip. I haven’t been on a field trip since 8th grade and I had a really fun time. I also liked how a radio host actually came to talk to us and give us advice on how to make the commercial. I learned that in the good business you can make commercials and advertise food for a job which I find very interesting. I liked going to the fair and being able to see the different types of animals and learning small facts about them. I saw things at the fair I’ve never seen before because when I’ve gone in the past I’ve only been where the rides are and didn’t really look at the animals or any of the contests. It was a new experience that I really enjoyed. Knowing that there are thousands of ways I can go in life that still involve culinary in some sort of way was helpful.
I really liked this project because it’s something different to do other than cooking and I think that sometimes we need to just take a day every once in awhile to do something else involving other things you can do in the industry other than cooking.