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2010 AGRICULTURAL
EDUCATION
Visit the parts of the fair that can teach you what
agriculture is all about.
Click on the links below to see what's offered this year:
Maryland
Agricultural Showcase
Old MacDonald's Barn
Birthing Center &
Milking Parlor
Master Gardners
4-H Behind the Scene
Tours
Honey Bee Education
Corn Is Everywhere
Agricultural Facts
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MARYLAND AGRICULTURAL
SHOWCASE |
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A first in the
nation, the Foundation’s Mobile Science
Laboratories have shown enormous success in directly teaching
the interaction between agriculture and the every day
environment. Hands-on experiences in Ag Products, Aquatics, and
Biotechnology have proven very effective and very popular
learning methods.
Click here to see brochure |
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OLD MAC DONALD'S BARN |
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Old MacDonald’s
Barn started in 1967 with a handful of baby animals exhibited to
show what was being raised on local farms. The barn has grown
and changed into the animal education area it is today.
Come see a
variety of animals, some young, some unusual, all in one big red
barn. See the differences between an Alpaca and a Llama, an
amazing ox, a donkey and more. Watch baby ducks swim. Learn
interesting facts about farm animals currently residing on farms
in our area. |
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BIRTHING CENTER & MILKING PARLOR |
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Where you can
see a calf stand on their newborn legs for the first time.
Bonding between a mother and their child. Check the schedules at
the Birthing Center to see what is happening each day. There
may even be a newborn baby to see! You’ll also witness old
fashioned hand milking and modern machine milking. |
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MASTER GARDNERS |
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Visit
our Bay Friendly Garden featuring water conservation, native
plants, permeable walkways, natural pest management, rain
barrels, drip hoses, Xeriscaping, ornamentals, grasses,
vegetables, herbs, rain garden, demonstrations and fascinating
pollinators. Ask a Master Gardener. Corner of Poplar &
Hickory Ave. |
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SHOWCASE
OF CLUBS |
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TAKE THE RIGHT ROAD TO 4-H!
Montgomery County Showcases on Maple Avenue
Saturday, August 21,
from 12 noon - 4:00pm on Maple Ave. near the First Aid Station.
4-H The Power of Youth!
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HONEY BEE EDUCATION |
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HONEY BEE
EDUCATION BY THE MONTGOMERY COUNTY BEEKEEPERS ASSOCIATION:
Find the queen
in the beehive. A beekeeper will be available at various times
throughout each day for demonstrations, questions and displays. |
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CORN IS EVERYWHERE |
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Activity station located in the KidZone.
This is an engaging, entertaining,
educating way to teach families and young children that corn can
be found in many everyday products. You will have fun playing
the corn "plinko" game, tossing the corn bags, and playing with
the toy tractors in a corn box.
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AGRICULTURAL FACTS |
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Facts about Maryland Agriculture:
• Agriculture is the single largest land use in Maryland with
two million acres, or roughly one-third of the State’s total
land area, used for farms and forests.
• There are 12,850 farms in Maryland with an average size of 160
acres.
• 129 of Maryland’s farms practice organic production.
• Maryland has about 56,000 dairy cows which producer over 1
billion pounds of milk each year. That’s about 20 gallons of
milk for each of Maryland’s 5.6 million residents per year.
• Maryland ranks seventh in the nation for broiler chicken
production. Broilers lead Maryland’s agricultural farm receipts,
bringing in 40 percent or $790 million of the State’s total farm
receipts for the year.
• Maryland has the greatest ratio of farmland preserved to total
land mass by any state in the nation. The Maryland Agricultural
Land Preservation Foundation program has permanently preserved
over 279,000 acres of farmland, with land preserved in each of
Maryland’s 23 counties, representing a public investment of over
$550 million.
Facts about Agriculture in the United States:
• Agriculture is America’s # 1 Export
• Two out of every three bushels of corn in the world originate
in the United States.
• Agricultural land provides habitat for 75 percent of the
nation’s wildlife.
• More than three million people farm or ranch in the United
States.
• Family partnerships or family corporations operate almost 99
percent of U.S. farms.
• With modern methods, one acre of land in the United States
(about the size of a football field) can produce: 42,000 lbs. of
strawberries, 11,000 heads of lettuce, 25,400 lbs. of potatoes,
8,900 lbs. of sweet corn, or 640 lbs. of cotton lint.
• According the National Farmer’s Union, U.S. farmers receive
only 20 cents of every dollar consumers spend on food.
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