FARMINGTON – More than 1,300 area students in grades kindergarten to four from area school districts, along with their teachers and chaperones, were expected to participate in the 17th Agricultural/Environmental Day at Farmington Fair on Monday.

Connie Tibbetts of the Franklin County Soil and Water Conservation District, the sponsor, had taken 1,265 registrations by midmorning and said most of the expected students had arrived. Later, Rosetta Thompson said some unregistered students and parents brought the numbers to more than that amount.

Thompson, who has been involved in planning the program for 15 of the 17 years it has existed, said agriculture day keeps expanding. Originally intended for Franklin County, over the years it has grown, she said, and this year included students from Somerset, Kennebec, Androscoggin and Oxford counties.

The record attendance stands at 1,500, she said.

Whether petting sheep and goats at the Lane Barnyard Petting Zoo or trying a hand at milking Ella, a Hardy Farm cow, who patiently allowed child after child the opportunity, the animals were popular among the students. A long line was seen at the milking demonstration, she said.

One new demonstration this year, provided by Dennis and Sarah Wilk, proved quite popular and included a live lobster, Thompson said. The students were fascinated and enthused with the opportunity to touch it, she said.

The sponsors planned more than 30 educational displays and demonstrations designed to teach students about agriculture and the environment, Thompson said.

Volunteers presented information on bees, composting, apples and blueberries, live trout and more as children, teachers and parents toured the barns, museum and other displays.

Youngsters found the historic Red School House’s wooden desks with slate boards on top appealing.

Once again, eighth-grade history buffs from Phillips Middle School volunteered to man stations at the museum, said teacher Paula Roy. The older students would explain the exhibit, answer questions and sometimes tell stories to the younger ones, she said. Other eighth-graders talked about the growth of pumpkins and demonstrated running a cider press.

Over the years, Thompson said, the number of stations has grown by at least one each year.

“The popularity of the event has grown tremendously as the event has changed from strictly agriculture, food and fiber sources, to include environmentally related areas,” she said.

Composting, soil composition and how pollutants affect the ground water interconnect with agriculture, she said.

Agencies such as the Farm Bureau, Ag in the Classroom, Dairy Council and other outside entities and private individuals provide volunteers, she said.