The entire 4th grade class (163 students) at Dowell Elementary and 30 homeschool students attended the First Annual Ag Day at Hyde Farm on September 19, 2019.
The students explored two agricultural paths, rural and urban. The rural path included a poultry lesson provided by Cobb County Farm Bureau, a goat lesson provided by Fort Valley State University, a lesson about cotton production was given by Cobb Parks, and Yanmar Evo Center provided tractors for the students to explore.
The urban path included a compost lesson given by Cobb County Farm Bureau, a garden tour and a produce scavenger hunt given by Cobb County Master Gardners, a seasonal taste test provided by Cobb UGA Extention Office, and a snake presentation by Cobb County Water Department.
Dowell Elementary is a Title 1 school that has a garden, as well as an After School Program Garden Club overseen by Dr. Geraldine Bryant. The majority of lessons and demonstrations at Hyde Farm were hands-on. The students especially enjoyed the taste test of kale chips and cooled down with popsicles provided by King of Pops.
This ag-based field trip was completely free for the students with the help of community partners such as Cobb County Soil and Water Conservation District, Cobb County Parks, NRCS-Marietta Field Office, Cobb County Farm Bureau, American Community Garden Association, and many volunteers.