Brazoria-Galveston County Farm Bureau was recognized by the Texas Farm Bureau (TFB) and the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) for its educational efforts through the Farmers Corral at the Brazoria and Galveston County fairs.
Brazoria-Galveston CFB was one of three county Farm Bureaus recognized by TFB during the organization’s 90th Annual Meeting Dec. 1-3 in Frisco.
The County Activities of Excellence Award recognizes unique, volunteer-driven programming by county Farm Bureaus.
It was also one of 24 county Farm Bureaus nationwide to receive a County Activities of Excellence Award from the AFBF.
The Farmers Corral Agricultural Learning Center invites community members of all ages to learn about agriculture.
“Both of our counties are becoming more urban, and we wanted to host an educational event to help local consumers learn more about agriculture,” said Deana Fuchs, Brazoria-Galveston County Farm Bureau Ag Programs Coordinator.
“We saw over 15,000 people between the two county fairs. The Farmers Corral is a great way to show people of all ages a little bit more about production agriculture and where their food, fiber, and fuel come from.”
Fairgoers could visit different stations in the Farmers Corral to see how cotton is ginned, learn about products made from various crops, plant a seed, watch a milking demonstration, see baby chicks hatching, and more. Live animals also attracted young children to the exhibit.
The Farmers Corral also provided packets with agricultural information for school children to take home.
“We wanted visitors to read about topics and hear from actual farmers and ranchers, but we also wanted to include hands-on activities, live animals and ways for visitors to take information home to continue to learn about agriculture,” Fuchs said.
The Farmers Corral utilizes students and parents from local FFA chapters and 4-H clubs to help man the various stations. Also, the partnerships with AgriLife Extension, Brazoria County Beekeepers Association, Southwest Dairy Farmers, and the County Fair Associations are vital to the Farmers Corral’s success.
Brazoria-Galveston CFB displayed a booth at the TFB 90th Annual Meeting in December and again during AFBF’s Annual Convention and Trade Show held January 19-24 in Salt Lake City, Utah.
