Sometimes agriculture provides a good chuckle

I shouldn’t be surprised that kids coming through the livestock barn at the Alaska State Fair this year didn’t know what the word “agriculture” means. It’s a word that isn’t necessarily trendy. It’s not even a word that appears in the Alaska standards for K-12 students.

Those who ventured a guess usually said something to the effect of, “Isn’t it, like, the culture of something?”

Thankfully, they all knew what farming is, and some even realize that farmers grow and raise the food they eat, and even the clothes they wear.

Each year, spinning the quiz wheel loaned to Alaska Agriculture in the Classroom by the Alaska Association of Conservation District gives me not only insights on attitudes and knowledge about agriculture, but a few good laughs and an occasional surprise. Those are not always pleasant.

Here’s one of the questions from the Alaska AITC Farm-to-Table Ag Trivia set in the Ag History section:

“What botanist developed more than 300 uses for the peanut, from recipes to industrial products?”

I don’t really expect the average fourth-grader to whip out a correct answer; it’s a learning experience. But when that youngster comes to the wheel with a parent or two in tow, I would think the name George Washington Carver would at least ring a bell. Not always. Apparently this agricultural pioneer has slipped into obscurity.

We established several years ago that most youngsters have no idea that French fries come from potatoes. I’ve never quite figured out where they do think they originate.

Sometimes it is the odd question that stumps most kids: “What red fruit has its seeds on the outside?” I guess we don’t think of strawberries that way.

Occasionally my colleagues and I realize we just aren’t savvy enough asking the question. One volunteer asked a lad how often a chicken produces an egg. He answered, “Three weeks.” When he was told it was 24 hours, he was confused. His hens take three weeks to hatch an egg.

Then there was the little boy who was asked, “What do you call a baby chicken?” His response: “An egg.” OK, who can argue with that?

Proving that Alaska youths may be more clever than knowledgeable when it comes to agriculture, another boy, responding to the question, “For what do we raise reindeer?” offered, “To deliver presents?”

Surprisingly, even very young children could recognize a picture of broccoli. Oddly enough, they didn’t recognize peas.

The time at the wheel passed quickly when engaging children were eager to learn more about agriculture, even if they didn’t know what it means. And considering the prize was a small piece of candy, farm tattoo or pencil, it wasn’t the reward.

Children are interested in where their food comes from, who produces it and how it goes from farm to table. They care about the agricultural world, just as they do the environmental and social issues about which they learn at school.

It’s easy to see Alaska’s kids are well tuned in to their natural world. Rarely does even the youngest child miss the Alaska Trivia question: Name three types of bears in Alaska.

Hopefully Alaska’s children will become equally well attuned to the types of crops that grow in Alaska and other bits of information that help them appreciate that word “agriculture.”

Victoria Naegele (akaitc@alaskafb.org), director of Alaska Agriculture in the Classroom, has been asking trivia questions at the fair for about five years and may be reached at 982-2219. Alaska AITC (www.agclassroom.org/ak) is a 501c3 educational program of the Alaska Farm Bureau, with support here from the Mat-Su FB Chapter and Palmer Soil & Water Conservation District.