On Friday, May 5, the Atlantic FFA Chapter held a farm safety/petting zoo day at Washington Elementary.  This gave the students at Washington Elementary the opportunity to experience being around large farm animals. They learned about farm equipment and how to be safe when operating it. They also had the opportunity to learn about FFA and beef products.

Farm Safety Day was led by the Atlantic FFA Chapter officer team, the Atlantic High School Animal Sciences class, and other FFA members. “I thought it was a fun day and everyone had a chance to learn something new,” said Eric Miller, Atlantic FFA Advisor. The Animal Science class picked 13 areas of need that were involved in bringing animals and equipment to teach kids about safety on a farm.  These stations gave the Atlantic Elementary students an opportunity to learn more about the animals and equipment you might find on a farm.

The petting zoo included a cow, a draft horse, sheep, a goat, poultry, a pig, and rabbits. The equipment there included a tractor, a rotary rake to show how a PTO works, a gravity wagon, a lawn mower, and a side-by-side. “I thought the kids had a lot of fun and learned about different types of animals and types of large equipment used on farms. I also think the kids got a lot of hands-on experience,” said freshman Maddy Anderson.

The former Cass County Beef Queen Claire Pellett and the current Cass County Beef Princess Callee Pellett were there teaching kids about beef by-products along with FFA knowledge. “I think that it went really well and I love seeing all these little kids get excited about all the animals and have so many questions about agriculture,” said Callee Pellett.

Contributed by Atlantic FFA Reporter, Lily Johnson

*The original report was edited for clarity.