Ag Expo April 17-20, 2012

McHenry County Farm Bureau holds Ag Expo every other year for third and fourth grade students. The expo has been held on an every other year basis since 1988 and has reached over 40,000 students. This past year's event drew more than 2,500 students and 100 teachers.

Students were exposed to six minute presentations from 20 different agricultural booths. The booths included: swine, Christmas trees, dairy, soil and water conservation, beef cattle, chickens, embryology, worms, historical farming practices, corn and soybeans, fish farming, specialty crops, honey bees, horses, sheep, fiber arts, farm equipment, food safety and 4-H.

Roughly 200 volunteers donated their time and talent to the four day event. Volunteers were utilized for set up, booth presenters and tour guides. The McHenry County Fair Association provided its facilities for the event.

Ag Expo provides third and fourth grade students with some basic knowledge about agriculture. It helps the students connect the agricultural industry to the food and products they consume in their daily lives.

You may also view pictures from our 2008 Ag Expo by clicking here. 

Teacher Info:

Grade Levels: Exclusive to Third & Fourth Grade Students (held every other year)

Presentations:
Students are exposed to six minute presentations from 20 different agricultural booths. The booths may included: swine, Christmas trees, dairy, soil and water conservation, beef cattle, chickens, embryology, worms, historical farming practices, corn and soybeans, fish farming, specialty crops, honey bees, horses, sheep, fiber arts, farm equipment, food safety and 4-H.

Location:
Fairgrounds location: Country Club Rd and Rt47, Woodstock
For those coming from the East, we suggest your bus coordinator consider Queen Ann's Road to Country Club Road access rather than Route 47 which is more congested.

Housekeeping:
Punctuality, groups arriving late will miss some of the 20 presentations
Suggest a room mother or aid accompanies each group
Optimal group is 24-26 students, group size may be adjusted or split.
A rest room break is provided.

Weather:
Expect to walk between three buildings, two of which are unheated. Appropriate
clothes and jackets are suggested.

Intro or follow up:
Consider utilizing our Ag Mags & Power Points on many of these topics to expand this introduction to the world of agriculture. These 4 page magazines are available in hard copy from the Farm Bureau office or downloaded from our state website at www.agintheclassroom.org. Visit our website as well: www.mchenrycfb.org.

Time Slots: 9:15 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.  or   11:45 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Reserving Your Transportation:
Check your date with your school's bus transportation contact person prior to making your reservation.

Reservations:
We ask that no more than 1 person from each grade level or school serve as the contact person. Email your preferred date and time to mcfbaitc@att.net or fax us at 815-338-1522. Please include your contact information, school, total number of classrooms/students and grade level. We fill requests on a first come/first serve basis. Questions: Our office can be reached at 815-338-1520 or email us.