The 7th-grade students of Queen Anne’s County Public Schools were invited to participate in a once in a lifetime educational experience to learn about Maryland’s number one industry, agriculture. As our population continues to grow, agriculture is crucial for our survival; therefore, a coalition of agricultural educators, professionals and youth involved in 4-H and FFA joined together to host an educational experience for all 7th-grade students across our county.

This coalition hosted the 7th annual “Agriculture Awareness Day” on Tuesday April 9th, attended by Stevensville and Matapeake Middle schools . They were followed by Centreville and Sudlersville Middle schools on Wednesday, April 10th. The program utilizes the Next Generation Science Standards and Maryland Environmental Literacy Standards to educate students about agriculture. With the use of educational stations throughout the day, students are fully involved in activities covering the variety of industries within agriculture while being introduced to the career opportunities within.

Recognition for sponsors and volunteers:
Horizon Farm Credit
Maryland Grain Producers Utilization Board
Maryland Soybean Board
Queen Anne’s County Board of Education
Queen Anne’s County Farm Bureau
Queen Anne’s Soil Conservation District
University of Maryland Extension
University of Maryland Wye Research and Education Center
A Sure Bet Farm
Arnold Farms
Atlantic Tractor
Bright Star Farm
Choptank Electric
Catoctin Mountain Orchard
Delmarva Chicken Association
Edwin Remsberg Photographs
Farm to Market 4-H Club
Growmark FS
Higgs Highland Cattle
Hoober
Humble Hearts Catering & Events
King Show Lambs
Maryland Agricultural Education Foundation, Inc.
Maryland Dairy Princess Association
Maryland Department of Agriculture
Maryland Farm Bureau
Maryland Sea Grant
Maryland State FFA
Mike & Jill Cohey
Mountaire Farms
Nagel Crop Insurance
National Chicken Council
PepUp, Inc.
Pony Express 4-H Club
QACTV – Queen Anne’s County Television
Queen Anne’s County 4-Her’s
Queen Anne’s County 4-H All Stars
Queen Anne’s County Commissioners
Queen Anne’s County Economic Development
Queen Anne’s County Government
Queen Anne’s County High School FFA members
Queen Anne’s County Master Gardeners
Queenstown Lions Club
Shear Joy Acres
Sheubrooks Family Farms
Shore United Bank
Stony Knoll Farm
Sudlersville Ruritan
The Mill of Kingstown
Tidewater Seed
Tomahawk Farms
USDA Farm Service Agency
University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Horn Point
Wheaton Show Pigs

This educational experience was held at the Queen Anne’s County 4-H Park during school hours. Local educators facilitated these stations and interacted with students to provide awareness on the diversity of agriculture on the Delmarva Peninsula. Stations covered agriculture’s ever changing technology, food safety, pollinators, aquaculture, animal production, career opportunities and grains grown in the county and their uses.

Our team is here to serve the public and provide awareness, so we encourage anyone to contact our agriculture organizations for more information. Learn more about our team below.

Contributors:

Jenny Rhodes
Principal Agent, Agriculture & Food Systems, University of Maryland Extension, Queen Anne’s County
2024 Quote: “Educating the youth on agriculture and careers is a vital component of ensuring the long-term viability of the agriculture industry. With Agriculture Awareness Day, our goal is to expose the 7th graders in Queen Anne’s County to many facets of agriculture and the potential career options available to them. This year we added an interactive career fair, which was well utilized by the students. The University of Maryland Extension educators from throughout Maryland came together to support this program and initiative. It’s wonderful to see our community come together for a common goal!”

Jenell Eck McHenry,
Programs and Public Relations Director, Thompson Ag Consulting (Maryland Grain Producers)
2024 Quote: “Celebrating our seventh Agriculture Awareness Day is a huge milestone! We are honored that others are interested in replicating our event to reach more students. For others with a goal in mind, keep your head up and find the right support group and before you know it you are celebrating your 7th anniversary. Thank you to every person that has made each event a huge success!”

Jessica Clarke, Crop Insurance Agent, Horizon Farm Credit

2024 Quote: “The Agriculture Awareness Day is an event that really connects our kids in the county with our strong agriculture community. They see so much agriculture around them every day in Queen Anne’s County and it is exciting to be able to have this event to connect them to that diverse agriculture right in their backyards. The agriculture industry has shaped me into the person I am today, which is why I enjoy being able to give back and advocate for the industry. With hopes to spark students’ interest in future college or career pathways in agriculture. It amazes me at the 80 plus volunteers we get each day from throughout the community that are willing to do the same. This event wouldn’t be possible without all of them!”

Michael Page
QACPS
Supervisor of Instruction
Environmental Literacy / Health / Physical Education / Science

2024 Quote: “This has been another outstanding Agricultural Awareness Day. The Maryland Extension office and the Queen Anne’s County farm community continue to provide an engaging and exciting day for our students!”

Dr. Patty Saelens
QACPS
Superintendent of Schools

2024 Quote: “We are so thankful for the incredible partnership with the University of Maryland Extension. Without this partnership, this incredible program would not be possible. It is so appreciated that each year time is spent to assess each activity and refine each station. This year, the addition of the Career Fair was a huge hit! The experiences students engaged in were invaluable.”