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Ag Education Days brings hands-on agriculture and technology lessons to more than 1,100 students
Summary
Organizers told the Board of Education of Cecil County that the county’s Ag Education Days engaged roughly 1,100 seventh graders, was supported by more than 80 volunteers and sponsors, cost about $87,959 to stage, and will run again next April as a community-funded, nonprofit-run event.
Representatives of the Cecil County Ag Education Days Planning Association presented the board with results from the multi-day event that brought agricultural, conservation and ag-technology stations to more than 1,100 seventh-grade students.
The presentation, led by planning association volunteers and University of Maryland Extension affiliate Dr. Paul Rickard, described a three-day program that deployed 12 education stations covering food systems, land and water conservation, animal science and agricultural technology. Organizers said the event involved more than 80 volunteers per day, 60 volunteers overall for each day of operation, and included presentations and hands-on demonstrations such as drones, GPS and ag automation, animal care, beekeeping, and food-safety activities.
The association reported it raised roughly $25,000 from a mix of local and regional sponsors and partners and that total in-kind and donated value brought the event cost to approximately $87,959. Organizers said the school system was not charged for student participation and that the planning association has completed formal governance steps — an MOU with the district, managing donations through Maryland Ag Ed Foundation in earlier years, and filing as a 501(c)(3) to manage donations directly going forward.
Students who participated described the program as engaging and educational. Three students were recognized in an essay contest tied to the event: first place Bo Kuras (Rising Sun Middle), second place Brielle Quinlan (Bohemia Middle), and third place Talia Lister (Perryville). Organizers said post-event surveys showed strong positive feedback from teachers and volunteers and that 100% of surveyed volunteers indicated willingness to return next year.
Organizers asked the board to note the event’s scale and community support and invited board members to attend and help publicize next year’s Ag Education Days in April.
