By April Reese
University of Georgia
March is National Agriculture Month. To celebrate, the
University
of Georgia and the Southeast United Dairy Industry Association
will try to make learning about agriculture fun at Zoo
Atlanta.
The annual “A to Z: Agriculture at the Zoo” event will be
Saturday, March 29, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. It will showcase
agriculture for urban Georgians.
“When most people think of agriculture, they think of rural
life
and farming,” said Faith Peppers, public affairs manager with the
UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
“The zoo is a natural place for us to hold this event on the
environment and agriculture’s place in it,” Peppers said. “Zoo
Atlanta offers a bit of nature and conservation in the middle of
the city.”
“A to Z: Agriculture at the Zoo” will feature interactive
exhibits, fun activities and family entertainment. CAES
scientists, farm commodity groups and agribusinesses will
showcase the latest in agricultural research and
improvements.
“We hope the exhibit with Zoo Atlanta will help urban
Georgians
see that agriculture touches the lives of all of us every day,”
Peppers said.
Visitors can plant seeds and learn about composting at the
Urban
Garden Program exhibit. And they can find out how to build a
backyard wildlife habitat.
“We’ll have exhibits under the Ford Pavilion and throughout
the
zoo,” Peppers said. “So whether they want to learn how to protect
their groundwater or talk with students about what they’re
studying, there should be something for everyone.”
Exhibit areas just for kids will feature hands-on science
exhibits and environmental protection displays. A scavenger hunt
will let kids test their agriculture knowledge and win prizes.
4-H club members from around the state will have displays on
their project work in agriculture and the environment.
For adults, the event will showcase a plant doctor exhibit by
Georgia Master Gardeners and the latest developments in the
diverse fields of agriculture.
The “Got Milk?” truck, provided by The Southeast United Dairy
Association, will give visitors free milk samples and their own
milk-mustache photo.
The highlight of this year’s Dairy Association exhibit is the
Mobile Dairy Classroom, a new outreach program created by Georgia
dairy farmers.
The MDC is a 30-foot, white trailer painted with black cow
spots.
It travels across Georgia to educate kids about the process that
safely takes milk from the cow to the dinner table.
Equipped to house a live cow, the MDC allows kids and
families to
see the milking process in action. Teachers can get information
about possible school visits.
“A to Z: Agriculture at the Zoo” is free with admission to the
zoo. For discounted Zoo Atlanta tickets for March 29, contact
your county UGA Extension Service office. You can get tickets,
too, through Zoo Atlanta’s Web site (www.zooatlanta.org) or at
the gate.
(April Reese is a student writer with the University of
Georgia
College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.)