Local businesses & institutions participate in National Ag Week activities
Katelyn Packard and Abbie Hamilton show off National Ag Week placemats at Linda’s Diner. Photo courtesy of Kathleen Siler of the Washtenaw County Farm Bureau.
Washtenaw County Farm Bureau will join other organizations across the country to celebrate agriculture’s important role in daily life as part of National Ag Week March 19-25 and Ag Day on Tuesday March 21st. Manchester businesses and institutions are participating in local events and activities designed to raise awareness about the many ways America’s farmers provide food, fiber and fuel for our communities, our nation and the world. This year’s theme is “Agriculture: Food for Life”. March has also been designated as Michigan Food and Agriculture month.
The County Farm Bureau is providing agriculture-themed placemats or “table tents” depicting state and local farming facts at Bridgewater Bank Tavern in Bridgewater, Linda’s Diner in Manchester, Carrigan Café in Saline, Thompson’s Bar & Grill in Saline, Bob Evan’s Ann Arbor Saline Rd. location, and for the mid-March Washtenaw County Dairy and Livestock Council’s Ag Banquet in Chelsea.
MyPlate posters featuring local farmers and producers will be displayed at the Manchester Market, and Busch’s Fresh Food Market in Saline. An agricultural-themed exhibit will be also be displayed in a downtown Saline storefront window.
The county Farm Bureau is partnering with district libraries in Manchester, Milan, Saline and the Ypsilanti Whittaker branch to showcase displays of Washtenaw County agriculture facts, books and brochures highlighting various types of farming, commodities and agriculturally-based careers. Several Ag-related, children’s books will be donated to the libraries.
American Farm Bureau Foundation’s 2017 Book of the Year. Photo courtesy of Washtenaw County Farm Bureau.
Teachers at Community Day Care and Preschool in Ann Arbor (CDC) will read The American Farm Bureau Foundation’s 2017 Book of the Year: Sleep Tight Farm by Eugenie Doyle to their pre-kindergarten group and complete the session with a seed-planting activity for their on-site garden. Farmer Kim Graham will read First Peas to the Table to a first grade class her daughter teaches at Dicken Elementary School in Ann Arbor. The award-winning book by Susan Grigsby introduces students to school gardening and agriculture history.
At one of CDC’s school-age, after school programs at Lawton Elementary School in Ann Arbor, students in Kids Club can choose to play Safety Bingo as a way to learn about farm and home safety. Game prizes will be ag-related, and students will snack on Michigan apples during the activity.
A basket of new clothing and nursery items donated to Saint Joseph Mercy Health System will welcome the first Washtenaw County baby born during Ag Week. Photo courtesy of Washtenaw County Farm Bureau.
And, of course, it’s become an annual tradition to welcome the first Washtenaw County baby born during National Ag Week, with a basket of baby clothes and nursery supplies donated to St. Joseph Mercy Hospital.
The Farm Bureau will cap off National Ag Week with a FREE Farm Safety Program with stations for adults and kids at the Washtenaw Farm Council Grounds on Saturday, March 25th from 1-3 p.m. with registration at 12:30. The presentations will include: Tractor safety, ATV safety, lawn mower safety, chemical safety, animal safety, and emergency preparedness.
Finally, local Farm Bureau members will be featured on social media sites wearing “Proud to Farm in Washtenaw County” t-shirts while engaging in farming tasks and Ag-related careers.
You can follow all the events and activities by visiting the Washtenaw County Farm Bureau Facebook page. During National Ag Week, or any other time of the year, you can celebrate agriculture by thanking farmers for everything they do to provide us with fuel, fiber and “Food for Life” 365 days a year!
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