(Berrien County, MI) - Berrien County Farm Bureau was one of just 24 branches nationwide recognized by the American Farm Bureau Federation for their respective programs mostly related to agriculture.
Each of the selected Farm Bureau organizations received the “County Activities of Excellence Award” and illustrated their programs during the 106th annual AFBF convention from January 24-29 in San Antonio, Texas. About a half dozen representatives from Berrien County Farm Bureau showcased their award winning “No Farmer, No Fair Food” exhibit.
The three year old exhibit gives people at the Berrien County Fair, especially children, a chance to learn about the role agriculture plays in the creation of corn dogs and other popular fair foods.
Berrien County Farm Bureau President Ed Kretchman said the branch’s Promotion and Education Committee came up with the idea for the exhibit, not to win any contest, but to educate the public in a fun manner.
“Recognition never really enters into it but it’s awful nice, though, when you’re recognized for your efforts,” he said.
The exhibit inside the Ag Expo building during the fair is a roughly 50 foot long, 20 foot wide maze with the path created from hay stacked three bales high on each side. People making their way through the maze encounter about a half dozen stations.
Each station depicts the image of one fair food item such as a corn dog, elephant ear, ice cream cone, caramel apple or beef tips. A written explanation is also provided at each station that the food along with the ingredients came from a farm. There’s also specific information on things like how milk in the ice cream came from a cow and flour used to make an elephant ear was milled from wheat grown in a field. There’s interaction at each station with a volunteer answering questions.
“It’s just a way to connect consumers to the fact that the fair food they’re enjoying is made or grown by farmers,” said Sarah Pion, the Michigan Farm Bureau Southwest Regional Manager.
She works with Farm Bureau branches in Berrien, Cass, St. Joseph, Van Buren and Kalamazoo counties.
Since not as many people live on farms nowadays, Pion said it’s important to teach children that food doesn’t just magically appear in stores and other places for them to grab and about the work involved in its production.
“It’s because of agriculture that we have those treats at the fair,” she said.
At the end of the maze, there’s a corn pit sitting about 18 inches off the ground for children to lean over and reach into. They can simply touch the kernels or grab one of the toy tractors in the pit and run it through the corn.
“Kids have a good time playing in it,” Kretchman said.
There are also bales of hay near the pit for parents to sit on and rest a while. Pion said nearly 3,000 children went through the maze during last year’s fair.
