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On May 18, the inaugural “Baby Farm-City Day” was held at Hickerson Elementary. This event was coordinated by UT/TSU Extension and Hickerson Elementary. Pre-K, Kindergarten, and First Grade students were treated to exhibits from Coffee County Farm Bureau Women, UT/TSU Extension, Coffee County FFA, and the Coffee County Soil Conservation District.

Students learned about farm products, including dairy, eggs, fruits, and vegetables, with the Farm Bureau Women and even made butter! Coffee County 4-H’ers and FFA members manned the farm animal zoo. Participants got hands-on experiences with various animals, including calves, lambs, piglets, goats, rabbits, chickens, and the sweetest beagle. Mr. John Ferrell from Franklin County Extension brought a display hive featuring honeybees.

All students were “farmers for a day” and got dirty with planting. Farmer Daniel Brown planted popcorn with the students. Pre-K students from Hickerson and Hillsboro Elementary planted sunflowers. Hickerson Kindergarten and First Grade students planted pumpkin plants under the guidance of Nina Hanson and Sara Steelman from Soil Conservation. These pumpkins will be entered at the Coffee County Fair in September.

Michelle Mullican, Hickerson Pre-K teacher and greenhouse coordinator, says: “It is my goal to make Hickerson Elementary a field trip destination for other schools. For our first year, we started small by inviting Hillsboro Elementary special needs Pre-K. We also tried to keep our focus on “baby” animals. We hope to invite other schools next year. We also loved partnering with CHS FFA and 4-H.”

Agriculture education is vital. As more and more people are disconnected from the farm, it is essential for them to understand the impact agriculture has on their lives. We literally could not live without agriculture. Coffee County has a rich ag history, and it is crucial that we continue to educate the public about agriculture. UT/TSU Extension hopes to be the driving force to bring back a Farm-City Day for all the residents of Coffee County.