Over 700 elementary students recently gathered at Fonner Park in Grand Island, Nebraska, for agriculture education.
Consisting of mostly 4th graders from 15 area schools, the students learned about various aspects of the ag industry.
JessaLynn Hudson, a Nebraska Cattlemen Senior Beef Ambassador, was a presenter at this year’s event. She said she taught students about nutrition and byproducts from beef.
“Usually, they don’t realize that some things that they use every day – like toothpaste, gum, medication, and chapstick – can come from the beef cow,” Hudson said.
Hudson also focused her materials on three main nutrients from beef – zinc, iron and protein – which she referred to as “ZIP” for the students to remember.
“Hopefully they can take that back home with them, or at school or with their family and friends, and remember how nutritious and healthy eating beef is for us.”
She said with the help of beef checkoff dollars, the Nebraska Cattlewomen (NCW) purchased additional educational resources for students and teachers to take home.
“We really hope that they’ll be able to take time during school or even at home to read those books and expand more on what they learned at Ag Day,” Hudson said.
NCW is the Consumer Promotion and Education committee of Nebraska Cattlemen.
A native of Belvidere, Hudson is a freshman at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln studying agriculture business with minors in the Engler Agribusiness Entrepreneurship Program and the Krutsinger Beef Industry Scholars Program.
Lilee Chevalier of Bennet, Nebraska, is also a Nebraska Beef Ambassador.
