What a great food learning experience the Fair was again this year for kids!
While it may be easy to think of the State Fair as a time to indulge in cheese curds and carnival rides, we must remember that the fair has agricultural roots, that it continues to celebrate today.
The Minnesota State Fair started in 1854 as a territorial fair whose purpose was to highlight agriculture and encourage farming. In it’s present form, the Fair still holds true to these roots. The first part of the Fair’s mission statement is, “We strive to showcase Minnesota’s finest agriculture, art, and industry.”
And showcase they did again this year. There were barns with almost every farm animal, from cows and pigs to rabbits and pigeons. The farmers–most of them youth-were present, and they encouraged us to ask questions.
In the Agriculture and Horticulture building, you could see all sorts of fruits and vegetables. There was even that whole hallway dedicated to apples!
Here is a display of all the ribbon-winning honey! Behind them is a map of the US, that illustrates how the flavor of honey can vary by region due to the differences in native flower populations across the country.
To the right is a wall of prize winning corn!
Kids are back in school now. But that’s okay, because MFC will continue to bring its unique agricultural learning to them in their classrooms!