FARMINGTON — Students from four counties and more than 25 home-schooled groups participated in Agricultural Day at the Farmington Fair Monday.

For this 20th year of Ag Day, sponsored by the Franklin County Soil and Water Conservation District, students from Dirigo Elementary in Oxford County, Carrabec Elementary in Somerset and Livermore Elementary in Androscoggin joined students from RSU 9, Rangeley and Strong schools Monday to learn more about local agriculture and conservation, said Rosetta Thompson, executive director of the district. This was the first year for the Dirigo and Livermore students, she added.

Along with barn tours to see a poultry show, milk cows and pet goats, donkeys and llamas, the fair had 17 stations set up specifically for the day, she said. The students gravitated toward Smokey the Bear and two NorthStar ambulances opened for display along with the historical agricultural museum, Red School House, Maple Syrup House and Blacksmith Shop.

There are 26 varieties of potatoes in the Exhibition Hall, said Jenna Campbell, who along with Nadia Reeves, both first-grade students from Cushing School in Wilton, and volunteer Janis Walker, counted out the varieties.

Campbell favored the photograph display in the hall while Reeves said she liked a large, carved wooden elephant rocker on display.

While some students watched and learned, other students shared their agricultural experiences. For two members of the New Sharon 4-H Club, the Happy H’s, that meant being on apple duty. Jared Winslow stirred apples through a grinder for applesauce while Julia Ramsey poured a taste of the sweet sauce for participants to try. Other youngsters prepared trimmed and cleaned their animals for a later showing.

The day provides a good learning experience but also relies on the supervision provided by volunteers, said Pauline Rodrigue, volunteer coordinator for RSU 9.

“There are five to eleven volunteers per classroom,” she said of the event that’s governed by “lots of supervision.”

About 30 volunteers helped to man the stations created to teach the students more about agriculture and conservation, Thompson said.

Anyone who would like to participate in Ag Day, whether from public or home schools, needs to contact the Franklin County Soil and Water Conservation District office at 778-4279 to receive a pass on to the fairgrounds for the annual event.

The Franklin County Agricultural Society provides the use of the fairgrounds on the first weekday of fair for children to learn and experience more about agriculture, Thompson said.

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