Students get hands-on experiences on Ag Day

On Friday, hundreds of students at Jim Darcy had a unique learning opportunity thanks to Ag Day.

Agriculture is one of the largest industries in Montana. But for those who didn’t grow up around the industry, there can be a lot of unknowns when it comes to farming, ranching and other aspects of agriculture.

A yearly staple at the school, Ag Day helps the students explore agriculture with producers from around the state running stations the students swap between.

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“It’s such an exciting day, we look forward to it every year,” Principal Jill Nymen told MTN. “It’s something that brings us together and brings the community into the school, and gives the kids a chance to learn about things they may not have exposure to.”

Outside, students practiced roping skills, spoke to FWP wardens, and met various livestock raised in Montana including emus. Inside, students were learning about bees, how wool is spun into yarn and how grain is turned into flour.

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Students told MTN they were surprised by some of the facts the learned about Ag.

“All the work that goes into taking care of cattle and stuff and all the things you have to do for testing and stuff,” said fifth-grade student Cambri Berg. “Feels pretty cool, like you don’t learn that stuff every day so it’s fun.”

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Ag Day has been a tradition at Jim Darcy since the 1970s. Although there have been more developments in the Helena Valley since its inception, Ag still plays a big role in the area. As the students learned on Friday, the agriculture industry affects our daily lives, but we may not always be aware of those impacts.