Published: June 05, 2009 08:18 am      

Day on the farm — 06/06/09

Event can be more valuable in a non-agricultural county

To be sure, farming is not a major part of Boyd County’s economy. But, in a sense, the lack of farming in this corner of Kentucky makes events like the annual 4-H Farm Day even more important. It helps show young people the importance of agriculture, and it may even inspire some to test their own “green thumbs.”

While there are only a handful of full-time farmers in Boyd County, there are scores of part-time farmers who supplement their incomes and put food on their tables by raising a few head of livestock or planting large gardens. We think their numbers will grow. After all, what better way to trim expenses than growing your own vegetables or raising a steer or hog for slaughter? Even a relatively small number of chickens can keep a family in eggs and supply meat for a few Sunday dinners — and they don’t require much land, just the proper zoning.

About 120 students from the Fairview School District traveled to the Boyd County Fairgrounds on 4-H Farm Day Wednesday to get a small taste of farming.

They were greeted by Danny Blevins, a retired agriculture teacher who now is a full-time farmer. While he may no longer teach agriculture to high school students, he continues to introduce new generations to the joys of living off the land.

Blevins hopes the one-day lesson helps teach the young people how plants, the soil, the environment and themselves are bound in an interconnected web. That, in turn, should make them better stewards of the Earth and its resources, he said.

During the field trip, the students planted flowers, sheared sheep, saw some horses, grimaced at some bugs and learned some exercises. Most important, Boyd County 4-H extension agent Becky Stahler hopes the day in the country helps increase “awareness that there is more than TV and video games to do in the summer.”

While it’s doubtful that any of the children attending the 4-H Farm Day went home and immediately convinced their parents to plant a garden or buy some chicks to raise, the day did plant the seeds of possibility that could eventually blossom into cutting expenses and eating healthier by raising gardens and livestock and to being more responsible stewards of the Earth.