Lucy Mitchell RHET Board Member has been touring various states in the U.S looking at how different countries and agricultural organisations engage the public, schools and children with agriculture. You can find out more about her travels in this blog.

I am thrilled to share that I have been awarded a Churchill Fellowship, which allows me to explore how different countries and agricultural organisations engage the public, schools and children with agriculture. So far, this journey has taken me across various states in the U.S where I have had the opportunity to speak with a variety of organisations and attend several agricultural fairs, events that share a common purpose to our agricultural shows.

In America, agricultural shows are called “Fairs.” These fairs serve as a platform for showcasing the best in agriculture, from livestock competitions to crop displays. Unlike our shows they also feature a significant number of carnival rides and an array of unique and indulgent “fair food” options such as deep-fried Oreos, deep-fried ice cream, waffles with ice cream and corn dogs.

Many visitors are drawn to the fairs by the carnival atmosphere and the fair food. The fairs utilise this as an opportunity to inform the public about agriculture through a variety of creative ways.

So far, I have had the pleasure of attending several major fairs, including the Erie County Fair, Iowa State Fair and Indiana State Fair. Each of these events runs for eight to 12 days and attract over a million visitors. As well as the carnivals and fair food they also have an array of creative and engaging agricultural educational activities designed to engage both children and adults.

For example, visitors can experience combine simulators and there are treasure hunts that guide children through various agricultural exhibits, making learning a fun and interactive experience. One of the most fascinating aspects that I have seen so far are the birthing centres, where attendees can watch calves being born and even sign up to text alerts to make sure they don’t miss any calves being born! Additionally, milking demonstrations are conducted with interactive explanations, offering insight into the daily routines on a dairy farm.

I look forward to sharing more of my experiences and findings.