The first day of spring has marked National Ag Day and National Ag Week since the celebration began in 1973. The event, which recognizes the contribution of agriculture in our everyday lives, is celebrated by local and national organizations who take agriculture education to a new level each year.

The Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board works with a number of groups around the state who celebrate this event each March.

For the past 30 years the agriculture department at Lincoln High School in Wisconsin Rapids has been providing a venue for Wood County residents to celebrate National Ag Day.

David Gliniecki, agriculture instructor and member of the Wisconsin Rapids Chamber of Commerce, has been part of the annual Ag Day Celebration at Lincoln High School since it began in 1977. "We set up the event to be a one shot opportunity," says Gliniecki. "We definitely didn't plan on it lasting 30 years."

Over the past 30 years the program has grown into the most highly attended non-athletic event in the school district. Average attendance hovers at around 2,000 people. The event has also expanded to fill the entire Lincoln High School Field House, which measures 120 by 230 feet.

In its first year, the Ag Day Celebration featured a petting zoo as its main attraction. Since then, the number of exhibits and events has grown to include local 4-H clubs, state FFA officers, local businesses, trapping demonstrations, tractor pulls, face painting, horse rides, dairy product sampling, and much more.

The celebration, which was originally held on a weekday, was moved to a Sunday more than 25 years ago to accommodate families.

"It really is a family event – dads, moms, kids, grandmas and grandpas come out every year," Gliniecki says.

Education
In Wisconsin Rapids, less than one-half of one percent of the residents are directly associated with farming. For that reason, the Ag Day Celebration is structured as a community-wide educational event.

"Our event might give people a better feeling about where their food comes from or let them learn something more about agriculture," says Gliniecki. "People can come to see and touch the animals," he continues. The petting zoo, still the event's largest exhibit, encompasses domestic farm animals ranging from rabbits, to llamas to calves, pigs and sheep.

The educational focus is also a main draw for the event's 40 to 60 student volunteers. "Though I've been doing this for 30 years, the students always have a new experience and that's what's important," says Gliniecki. Many alumni of the agriculture department and their families have become regular attendees of the annual Ag Day Celebration.

Publicity
After 30 years, members of the Wisconsin Rapids community have come to expect the annual Ag Day Celebration on the Sunday nearest to National Ag Day. Even still, each elementary student within the Lincoln school districts receives an invitation for their family to attend the event. Staff members at the elementary school are also involved in spreading the word about the event.

The 2006 Ag Day Celebration will be held on Sunday, March 19, at the Lincoln High School Field House in Wisconsin Rapids. The event will run from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. (A pancake breakfast is available from 8:30 to 12:00; $5.25 for adults, $4.00 for children.)

Get Involved
Ag Day is about recognizing - and celebrating - the many contributions that agriculture brings to our everyday lives. The National Ag Day program encourages every American to: 1) Understand how food and fiber products are produced. 2) Value the essential role of agriculture in maintaining a strong economy. 3) Appreciate the role agriculture plays in providing safe, abundant and affordable products.

There are many ways to celebrate National Ag Week, March 19-25, 2006, and National Ag Day, March 20, 2006, within your local community.

Consider the following:

• Visit your local school.
• Encourage your local school to designate a day to distribute agricultural facts and quizzes with school lunches.
• Provide your local school with agriculture activity sheets and fact sheets.
• Sponsor a poster contest within your local school.
• Set up an agricultural display at your local library.
• Write a letter to the editor, explaining the importance of agriculture to our state and your local community.
• Invite members of the agricultural community to your local businesses.
• Organize a pizza party on your farm.

The Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board works with and helps fund more than 60 local dairy promotion groups around Wisconsin. Each of these groups develops and carries out a number of dairy and agricultural outreach programs. For more information on the County Dairy Leader Group Program, call or e-mail Becky Kronberg at 800-373-9662.