The Nebraska State Fair has come and gone for 2014, but its new exhibit hall, Raising Nebraska, remains open – all 25,000 square feet dedicated to educating the public about agriculture year-round. Raising Nebraska debuted in August as a unique venue where visitors exchanged newly learned facts about agriculture; touched farm equipment, a first for some; and talked to producers about how food is raised.
FCSAmerica and others in the agriculture industry helped sponsor Raising Nebraska as a way to reach consumers who increasingly have no direct connection to farms and ranches. FCSAmerica committed to the sponsorship of the Conversation Pit, a space where producers are invited to meet one-on-one with visitors. The goal is to use these conversations to debunk myths about food, build relationships with consumers, and highlight the quality of food raised by Nebraska farmers and ranchers.
The space is designed at fourth-grade level because that is the year when Nebraska figures prominently in the school curriculum. Teachers can make the trip to Raising Nebraska in Grand Island to provide a hands-on lesson in science and agriculture. But as you can see in the accompanying video, Raising Nebraska is for people of any age.
We invite you to stop by. A full-time University of Nebraska-Lincoln extension educator, Beth Janning, staffs the building and can arrange tours and events. Producers who would like to be part of the conversation pit also can contact Beth at 308-385-3697.
