DATE:     9/27/02
CONTACT:  Claudia Meadows, (803) 284-3343
WRITER:   Tom Lollis, (803) 284-3343; tlollis@clemson.edu

Edisto REC hosts 625
for Kids' Farm Days

     BLACKVILLE -- Elementary school students from Aiken, Barnwell and
Bamberg counties came to Clemson University's Edisto Research and
Education Center the week of Sept. 23-27 to find out exactly where food
comes from.
     "We may buy our food from the grocery store, but it all originates
on the farm, and some children are surprised to find that out," said
Claudia Meadows, tour coordinator for the third annual Kids' Farm Days.
She also serves as volunteer leader for the Learning Center, one of the
components of the Agricultural Heritage Center (AHC) at Edisto REC.
     Meadows said 625 students had a chance to learn how important
agriculture is to their everyday lives.
     "They also had some fun at the same time," she said. "One of the
favorite stops on their tour was our newest attraction -- the 'Maize
Maze' - a five-acre corn maze. They had a lot of fun trying to find
their way through it."
     In the Learning Center they played a game called "Tic-Tac-Moo,"
getting to place a game piece on the board after correctly answering an
agriculture-related question. They also played a grocery game, matching
grocery items to the commodity from which they are made.
     In the field students were allowed to pick cotton and soybeans and
dig peanuts while they learned about the food products and by-products
that come from these crops.
     During a half-mile nature walk they learned about forestry and
Carolina Bays. At a cattle pen, they tried to guess the weight of
"Daffy" and "Precious," two Angus cows.
     "The kids learned how cattle are handled and taken care of, then
took a wagon ride to the Bull Test Station, where bulls are being
tested for gain and performance," said Meadows.
     The Kids' Farm Days week is sponsored by Edisto REC and the AHC.
Volunteers from the AHC board and Edisto REC led many of the tours
during the week. FFA students from Edisto and Barnwell high schools
helped by leading games and guiding tours.
     The Edisto FFA members also packed bags with book marks, pencils,
crayons made from soybeans, coloring pages and puzzles about farming,
and agricultural-based workbooks. Supplies were provided by the South
Carolina Farm Bureau, Edisto REC, the S.C. Beef Board and the S.C.
Soybean Board.
     Clemson Extension agricultural and 4-H agents also taught students
about farm commodities.
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