Future Consumers
Some 1,400 to 1,800 height-challenged consumers, typically known as fourth and fifth grade students, will get their first ever look at where milk comes from as they tour World Dairy Expo here in Madison today and tomorrow.
"A lot of our kids don’t really have an understanding of what happens on a farm or of how important agriculture is to the economy of our state," says Chris Eshun, a fourth grade teacher at St. James Elementary School here in Madison.
The tours are led by some 70 Expo volunteers, taking the students to the BouMatic milking center, where they about the milking process. They are also taken through Semex’s "Walk of Fame" tent where they get an up-close look at cows and explanation of genetics, and also view one of the breed shows in the Coliseum. Their tour also includes a stop at the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board where they learn about the important role that dairy products play in health and nutrition.
After their visit, teacher Eshun then has the student write up reports on what they saw. "I’m absolutely convinced it does make an impression on them that they carry with them the rest of their lives," Eshun says.
You can read more about World Dairy Expo’s student tours here. http://www.agweb.com/livestock/dairy/article/future_consumers/
