Agricultural science centers introduce hundreds of elementary students to farming, food production and hands-on research through seasonal activities

Adriana M. Chávez, New Mexico State University

LAS CRUCES - Four science centers housed within New Mexico State University’s Agricultural Experiment Station helped usher in the autumn season this month with outreach events for elementary school students.

Inspired by Tucumcari’s annual farm day, the Agricultural Science Center at Farmington hosted its fourth annual Farmington Kids Farm Day and Pumpkin Giveaway. Farmington ASC Research Director Kevin Lombard said 67 fifth-grade students and their teachers from Animas Elementary School visited the center Oct. 1 and rotated through five educational stops that included eight-minute flash talks on soils, agrivoltaic grow boxes, traditional Navajo crops, greenhouse and hydroponics, farm equipment, and the Navajo Agricultural Products Industry.  

Students then went through a corn maze that led to a pumpkin patch grown by the ASC Farmington farm crew under the supervision of Dallen Begay, farm ranch manager. Pumpkins were supplemented by the Pumpkin Patch, a farm within NAPI that grows pumpkins.  

On Oct. 9, the Valencia County Extension Office hosted a farm visit at the Agricultural Science Center at Los Lunas. During the visit by a group of kindergarten students, center and Extension staff walked them through crop varieties, how plants grow in soil, local produce, and the programs and research conducted at the center. Students also got to explore the center’s fields, participate in learning garden demonstrations, learn about the center’s tomato research project and urban agriculture initiatives, and engage in interactive discussions with researchers and educators. The day concluded with a hands-on STEM activity and a pumpkin for each student to take home.

Continuing a tradition that began in 2015, the Agricultural Science Center at Clovis hosted about 720 fifth-grade students from throughout Curry County during the center’s Pumpkin Patch Day events Oct. 14 and 15. The Curry County Extension office welcomed each school bus, gave a brief introduction about the pumpkin and its growth cycle, and prepared pumpkin pies that the students got to taste. At the event, students learned more about where food comes from, including the different types of food grown at the center. Students enjoyed making bubbles from guar gum and learned more about its uses. At the end of the event, students walked to the pumpkin field and picked their own pumpkin to take home.

The next event will take place Oct. 28, when the Rex E. Kirksey Agricultural Science Center at Tucumcari hosts about 150 fourth- and fifth-grade students at the center’s farm day. The event will feature six speakers, including three center staff, a producer and two Quay County Extension office representatives. For more information, contact the center at 575-461-1620.

Adriana M. Chávez writes for New Mexico State University Marketing and Communications and can be reached at 575-646-1957, or by email at adchavez@nmsu.edu.