Story by Emily Fabrizi Suffield High School
The Suffield’s Ag Expo is a two-day event hosted by Suffield High School’s Agriscience Department. This event is held every other year to share all of the benefits that a strong Agriscience program can offer, and to highlight the importance of Agriculture and related businesses in our communities.
“Ag Expo is a wonderful opportunity for the Suffield Regional Agriscience center to open our doors to the public, our community, and our school community,” says Ashley Lanz, an Agriscience teacher in the program.
Another teacher, Sarah Oliver, notes that “We showcase what our students do, all the things that they know about animal science, plant science, mechanics, natural resources, and Ag business.”
Suffield Regional Chapter Secretary, Brooke Tillotson, also comments that “People come to see what we do in our Ag program, so you guys can really understand and enjoy, and be able to advocate.”
Ag Expo showcases all the areas of Agriscience that the program touches on, and seeks to educate about the agricultural field. The Expo is open to anyone, including parents, other SHS students not in Ag, siblings, and anyone else who is interested in learning what Ag is all about.
Agriscience Director and Teacher Laura LaFlamme says, “Everyone can get a chance to see what agriculture is. Our famous line is, ‘It’s more than cows and plows’. It’s floral design, it’s landscaping, it’s food science, it’s natural resources. That diversity of agriculture needs exposure to all ages.”
One of the other agriscience teachers, Mrs.Leach adds that “We invite everybody in so they can see not only what FFA is, and agriculture, but also that agriculture is more than just farming, and cows, and tractors.”
There are many areas of Ag Expo. Each of these areas are interactive and showcase an area of agriculture. Some of these areas include the Petting Zoo, The Small Animal and Grooming lab, Farmer for a Day, The Aquaculture lab, and Greenhouse.
Katherine Platt, the Suffield Regional Chapter President, states that “Ag Expo is definitely a chance of letting the public in to see what we do here, ‘cause we’re kind of just a mystical place. People think ‘oh, we just watch animals’, but it’s really neat to show the public that we’re more than that.”
Finishing out, Celia Wagner, another of the five Ag teachers at the school, says that “I think when they get the chance to go through our program and see the different areas of agriculture, they’re enlightened by some of the industries that are involved in agriculture.”