UW-River Falls event intended to grow connections

Ag Day on Campus educates visitors about life on the farm

Posted 4/13/23

RIVER FALLS – Farmers across Wisconsin and the rest of the nation are beset by struggles of many sorts, and while those difficulties are real, there is much to celebrate in modern agriculture …

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UW-River Falls event intended to grow connections

Ag Day on Campus educates visitors about life on the farm

Posted

RIVER FALLS – Farmers across Wisconsin and the rest of the nation are beset by struggles of many sorts, and while those difficulties are real, there is much to celebrate in modern agriculture too, organizers of Ag Day on Campus at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls say. 

This year’s annual event is from 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, April 1and will highlight the importance of the agriculture sector. Many agriculture-related advances, such as technology-driven farm-related jobs and efforts to open new ag markets, are signs that farming, despite challenges, has a bright future, organizers said.     

“This event really helps show that no matter who we are or what we do in our lives, we all are tied to agriculture in some way,” said Katrina Hoesly, co-chair of Ag Day on Campus and a junior from Denmark who is majoring in ag marketing communications and agricultural business. 

Ag Day on Campus was started in 2012 and is put on by the UWRF Collegiate Farm Bureau chapter. The attendance by many on campus and from the surrounding community is evidence of the recognition of agriculture’s importance, said Joe Schlies, who is co-chairing this year’s event with Hoesly and is a senior agricultural business major from Denmark.  

“You have people from all walks of life who come to this event, people from the other programs on campus who attend,” he said. “It shows how agriculture influences all of us.”

After a 9:30 opening ceremony at the University Center mall, event attendees can visit more than 20 booths set up by student organizations and businesses, many of which will feature interactive activities. Farm animals will be on site for attendees to pet and learn about until 2 p.m. 

“For some people, this will be the first time they have seen a farm animal in person,” Schlies said.

A dinner featuring Wisconsin-grown foods is scheduled for 5 p.m. in the Agricultural Science Hall on campus. The meal is free and open to all. The dinner is followed by a panel of agriculture experts discussing farm-related topics. Then, at 7 p.m., in the Riverview Ballroom in the University Center, the acclaimed Kansas-based Peterson Farm Brothers will perform their farm-related musical parodies. 

For more information about this year’s Ag Day on Campus events, visit https://www.uwrf.edu/community/ag-day

Connecting to food

During the coronavirus pandemic, people became more interested in where their food comes from. Hoesly and other event organizers said one of their chief aims is to help people attending the event make connections with the food they consume. 

Sierra Howry, a professor of agriculture economics who works to organize Ag Day on Campus, said the event “helps bridge the gap” between urban and rural communities. Local daycares are invited to attend the event, allowing youngsters to learn about agriculture. 

“We hope with early exposure, these children will be comfortable asking questions and learning about where their food comes from as they get older,” Howry said. 

In addition to teaching people about how their food is produced, Ag Day on Campus provides students with an opportunity to engage with others on “real-world issues in agriculture,” said Dean Olson, interim dean of the UWRF’s College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences (CAFES). The event also provides attendees with hands-on agricultural experiences, he said. 

“How often do community members have the chance to see a lamb or to sit in the seat of a modern tractor?” Olson said. 

Student Grant Buwalda, a senior from Waupun majoring in agricultural business, agrees that one of the main goals of the event is educating people about how the food they eat is produced on farms. Because the event is led by students, they take a leadership role in describing the role of agriculture to attendees. 

“It is very neat to see students with an interest and passion for agriculture get to share about how modern agriculture works and share the story that a lot of people don't get to hear,” Buwalda said. 

Student Carter Beaulieu didn’t grow up on a farm, but he learned the value of agriculture through the Future Farmers of America chapter at the high school he attended in his hometown of Randolph. The junior agriculture business major said he is excited for this year’s event after the pandemic canceled it and then last year’s attendance was below the 800 or more who typically show up.

Like Hoesly and Schlies, Beaulieu said he hopes Ag Day serves to bring urban and rural people closer together.

“My hope is that people from both sides can come together and learn from each other, and I think Ag Day on Campus is one way to do that,” Beaulieu said. 

‘Challenges are overcome’ 

Student Rachel Rynda knows plenty about agriculture, having grown up on a dairy farm near Montgomery, Minn. She currently is serving as Princess Kay of the Milky Way, a role in which she speaks with groups of all sorts advocating for dairy farmers. A junior majoring in agriculture business, Rynda works to spread awareness about the importance of farming in modern society. 

“There is a story before the food gets to the grocery store,” Rynda said. “Helping people make those connections, about the role that agriculture plays in our everyday lives, that is what we’re trying to do.”

Ag Day on Campus also will also feature sustainability, a topic of growing importance in many sectors, including agriculture, Schlies and Hoesly said. Farmers take seriously their impact on the environment around them and are working on ways to make agriculture more sustainable, they said.

“Sustainability is a buzzword now with everybody, and farmers want to be a part of this,” Schlies said. “They want to be good stewards of the land. The balance is how do you do that and still make enough money to stay in business.”

The hundreds of people who attend Ag Day on Campus show that many people not only are interested in agriculture but support it, organizers of this year’s event said. They acknowledged challenges agriculture faces but expressed optimism that leaders will meet those obstacles. Farmers supporting each other goes a long way toward meeting that goal, they said.  

“Agriculture faces many unique challenges, but as time goes on, challenges are overcome as the tools and resources to do so continue to develop,” Buwalda said. “Things will not get any easier as time progresses, but I believe agriculture will continue to make the progress necessary to meet our needs.”

Submitted by UW-River Falls

Ag Day, UW-River Falls, agriculture, River Falls, Wisconsin