Traveling agriculture exhibit makes stop at Screven Co. school

SCREVEN COUNTY, Ga. (WTOC) - A mobile museum makes a week-long stop in Sylvania this week.

It helps students see the many aspects of agriculture in Georgia and the careers they could choose.

Hundreds of Screven County Elementary students get to see a range of different farms in Georgia all from their school parking lot.

A few at a time, students got a simulated walk through several farm operations.

The Georgia Foundation for Agriculture created this traveling exhibit during COVID as a way to give youngsters a “field trip” experience when many schools weren’t leaving campus. It serves as many student’s first exposure to agriculture.

“Many of these kids are so many generations removed from the farm, they don’t know where their food comes from. They may see it on the side of the road, but they don’t connect how it impacts their life,” Hannah Hall said.

It’s sponsored by a host of agribusiness groups from around the state. Teachers say they couldn’t possibly take students to each of these places. But this gives them a glimpse into Georgia’s biggest industry.

“It’s a good way to show that a chicken doesn’t come from the freezer section, it comes from a chicken farm. Peanuts don’t come from a bag, they come out of the ground,” Whitney Sheppard said.

Sheppard hopes it also gives some youngsters the interest in a career in the one of the many areas of agriculture.

“All the third, fourth, and fifth grade students will visit by the end of the week.”

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