Interactive Education

Agri-Fest Has a Strong History of Introducing Youth to Florida Agriculture

IN 1988, A NEW IDEA EMERGED in Central Florida for a method of engaging young people in agriculture. The goal was to provide interactive agricultural education to students in Polk County. Agri-Fest was born. What started as a one-day field trip for roughly 600 area youth in 1989 has blossomed into a 10-day program that caters to more than 6,000 Polk County fourth-graders with more than 300 teachers. This cooperative venture of the Polk County Farm Bureau, Polk County Public Schools, the Polk County Extension Office, and the local agriculture community is sponsored by Florida’s Natural Growers Foundation and The Mosaic Company. This year’s Agri-Fest took place in March at the Polk County Extension Office in Bartow, but unfortunately it was cut short because of coronavirus concerns.

During its inception, planners looked at current school curriculums and resources to determine what age group would best be served by interactive exhibits and workshops on citrus, beef cattle, phosphate, beekeeping, horticulture, forestry, aquaculture, blueberries, and small farms. It was determined that fourth-graders were the ideal audience for this venture. Not every child is involved in 4-H or other agricultural activities, so Agri-Fest was designed to introduce young kids to agriculture and generate interest through various hands-on activities and takeaways.