Ag Literacy

Over 33,000 Students Learn at Ag Awareness Festivals

(Cass, Douglas, Sarpy & Saunders Counties)

The first fall festival was held in 1996 at the UNL's Eastern Nebraska Research, Extension and Education Center near Mead, Nebraska, serving as a one-day pilot project for 200 Omaha Public School sixth graders. In recent years (initially to accommodate Covid restrictions), the festival moved to the Saunders County fairgrounds in Wahoo. The SAUNDERS COUNTY FESTIVAL has since grown to either 3 or 4 days annually with up to 950 fourth-grade students attending, primarily from Douglas, Sarpy and Saunders Counties. This year 630 fourth grade students attended the 4-day festival and over 19,200 students have attended the Saunders County festival from 1996-2023.

In an effort to reach more urban youth, a LANCASTER COUNTY FESTIVAL was added in 2001 at the Lancaster County Event Center in Lincoln. This festival is primarily for Lancaster County youth. It, too, started as a one-day festival and has grown to two/three days.  Over 9,300 students have attended the spring festival.  In addition, 525 students learned about ag virtually in 2021 (during Covid shutdowns when an in person festival was not permitted).

The expansion of the COOPER FARM (Omaha), SARPY/CASS COUNTY (Gifford Farm), and GIFFORD FARM (Bellevue) festivals have expanded ag learning opportunities to additional schools in or near the metro area since 2016. With the introduction of these festival locations in 2016, 2018, and 2021 respectively, more students have been able to take part in this valuable agricultural education experience. This has been particularly beneficial for schools that faced challenges attending due to travel time constraints. As a result, over 5,800 students have had the chance to engage in hands-on learning at these three festivals since they started.

The Ag Literacy Festivals focusing on Cass, Douglas, Lancaster, Sarpy and Saunders Counties have brought ag education to over 33,000 youth learners since the first festival began in 1996!  

At the festivals, students learn about a variety of ag concepts, production and products.  Topics vary by site and year, but generally the festivals include all or some of the following:   beef production/products and food safety, ruminant nutrition, dairy production/products and nutrition, grain production/products, farming technology,  water resources and irrigation, swine production/products, poultry production/products, sheep, on-the-farm activities, ag careers, and horses.  Goats, horticulture, and ask a farmer sessions have also been included, depending on the time available.