To an 8th grader from an urban school district, a chance to visit a farm and learn about tractors, combines, ag careers and more can be pretty exciting. Especially when it is a school field trip! On March 15th, forty-five 8th grade students from Johnston Middle School got to do just that as they attended the Iowa NAMA Ag Day event. The event was held at John Deere’s AMS test farm north of Dallas Center.

Students were able to see the newest John Deere equipment and learn about the innovative technologies the equipment utilizes, such as GPS. In addition, students heard about various agriculture topics from the following presenters:

Mike Gaul – Career Services Director, Iowa State College of Agriculture
Jana Rieker – Sales Executive, Successful Farming and Agriculture Online
Chuck McDaniel – Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Ankeny, IA

Each speaker talked to the students about their area of expertise and helped them to understand the wide array of career options available in agriculture. In addition, it gave the students a chance to learn more about farming and agri-business in celebration of National Agriculture Week, March 19-25, 2006.

This event was another successful example of how Iowa NAMA is striving to spread the positive message about agriculture!

This year’s Iowa NAMA Ag Day Committee was comprised of the following individuals:

Mindy Williamson – Iowa Corn Growers
Jennifer Haxton – John Deere Credit
Lori Strum – Strategic America
Stephanie Vinton – Agri-Access
Katie Stanhope – John Deere Credit
Doug Reynolds – Solutions Inc.

A big thank you to the Iowa Pork Producers for donating the pork patties and grill for the luncheon.