By Cris Alarcon, InEDC Writer. (May 10, 2025)
PLACERVILLE, Calif. (May 10, 2025) — The El Dorado County Fairgrounds buzzed with youthful energy on May 6 as more than 1,000 third-grade students from across the county participated in Farm Day 2025. This annual event, organized by El Dorado County Ag in the Classroom, offers students an immersive experience to understand the pivotal role of agriculture in their daily lives and community.
“Farm Day is one of my favorite events of the year because it brings education to life in such a powerful and joyful way,”
said Dr. Ed Manansala, El Dorado County Superintendent of Schools, who inaugurated the event.
“I deeply value our ongoing partnership with Ag in the Classroom. Their dedication to providing rich, hands-on agricultural education not only enhances our students’ learning but also connects them to the land, resources, and people that sustain our community. It’s inspiring to see young minds so engaged and curious.”
Throughout the day, students rotated through 6–8 interactive learning stations, each designed to provide insights into various aspects of agriculture. Activities included listening to a goat’s heartbeat, observing milk processing from a live cow, exploring beekeeping equipment while searching for the queen bee, and learning about composting and soil health. These stations, presented by local experts and organizations, aimed to teach students about farms, natural resources, food, nutrition, and animals.
“Farm Day was started 24 years ago by a local agriculturalist who saw the need for ag education for the youth of El Dorado County. Since then, it has grown to 1,300 students attending and over 200 volunteers, reaching almost all third graders in El Dorado County,”
said Ag in the Classroom Executive Director Melissa Neal.
“We love providing an enriching day of hands-on learning for our local third graders. It truly is a community event, and we couldn’t do it without the support of all our volunteers, presenters, and EDCOE.”
El Dorado County Ag in the Classroom continues to provide quality agriculture-related educational resources and programs to increase awareness and understanding of the importance of agriculture in our lives. Events like Farm Day are instrumental in connecting students to hands-on agricultural experiences, promoting an understanding of sustainable production, and highlighting the significance of the local food supply and agricultural heritage.
For more information about Ag in the Classroom and its programs, visit https://agintheclass-edc.org/
