Ag Expo Center open at Brown County Fair

ABERDEEN, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – Agriculture is a major part of the South Dakota economy, however as cities such as Aberdeen get larger, fewer people know about the contribution of farmers and ranchers.

The Brown County Fair has a first-year exhibit to help educate about the state’s agricultural contribution. In conjunction with the Farmer’s Union, they have put together a hands-on, agricultural education exhibit.

The Fair Board President Ryan Swenson talked about the board’s reaction to the idea of this exhibit.

“It was pretty unanimous. Everybody was on board. They thought the idea was great, and this is not a knock against our barns, but this is the best this barn’s ever looked. So it’s great to see that, you know, us and Farmer’s Union can have a good partnership together,” Ryan said.

Ryan continued with his enthusiastic feeling about the Ag Education Building and why it was welcomed to this year’s fair.

“It’s a very good opportunity for the Brown County Fair and the Farmer’s Union to come together and educate the community about what goes on, on farms and ranches all around the area,” Ryan said.

Here’s what Ryan felt fairgoers could gain from visiting this exhibit.

“It’s nice to have an opportunity now where anyone from a big town like Aberdeen, can come out and, you know, you can see baby cows, chicks, pigs. It’s an opportunity to be hands-on in the agricultural communities, We want to show people what the agricultural life’s all about,” Ryan followed up with.

The Education Program Specialist is Samantha Bowman, who followed up on something she learned as an intern, to bring the idea of the exhibit to the fair board.

“The biggest thing is just education, so when they go to the grocery store and they look at those labels, they’re a little more educated on what it takes to actually produce those cuts of meat, as well as, you know, the vegetables and fruits that they get. And then how it affects their local community as well. So all of these animals that we have displayed are actually local producers,” Samantha explained.

The Farmer’s Union Agricultural Education Center is open through the run of the fair, and closes on Sunday.

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