IRVINE FLATS - Just a few miles outside of town, nestled between endless grassy hills and the meandering Lower Flathead River, Mac Binger's ranch could be a world away. To some of the roughly 250 local fourth graders from Polson, Ronan, Pablo and Valley View schools, it was.

"A few of them didn't even know the river was here," Jack Stivers, Montana State University extension agent and one of this year's Agriculture Days organizers, said.

Stivers collaborated with the Lake County Conservation Board, Polson and Ronan Chambers of Commerce and local volunteers to expose area youth to farming and ranch practices and the effect those practices have on environmental stewardship and utilization.

"The bus ride itself exposes the students to new horizons," Stivers said. "Bumping down the road is part of the fun."

Outside, Irvine Flats local Carl Moss provided cattle for demonstrations in branding and vaccination. Inside, tables lined the arena. Horse trainer Mark Vrooman introduced the kids to proper feeding and handling techniques while Jeff Nelson of Nelson Dairy Service let students feel the suction of a milking device around their thumbs.

Like many of the presenters, Jane Clapp, owner of Heart of Sky Ranch in Irvine Flats, is an Ag Day veteran.

"When I was their age, I was horse-crazy," she said. "I try to spark some thoughts for the kids, let them know there's something more to having a ranch, and that there are opportunities in the horse industry."

Carlos Rodriquez, of South Shore veterinary service and the Lake County Conservation Board, brought his goshawk Drumstick to the event. He gave students the chance to pet the hawk, watch his eyelids blink rapidly and learn how he hunts.

"I like to get them to think and find an entertaining way to do it," Rodriquez said. "You can learn about wildlife by reading about it or watching TV, but to really get it, you need to be hands on. That's the value of it... it's something they don't see every day."

Rodriquez's second display showed that life on a ranch is not all fun and games. With a table-top diorama, he demonstrated the difficult balancing act that farmers must manage to keep their land's ecosystem in check.

Too much agriculture can lead to harrowing transformations in the environment. When riparian buffer zones are decimated, unfiltered nitrates and sedimentation can turn clean water into muck. When livestock graze in open water sources, aquatic species are often unable to survive and shallow drinking wells become vulnerable to pollution.

"I like seeing their reactions," Rodriquez said. "Some groups really know a lot, but to others, this is all new."

If the abundance of wide-eyed, open jawed faces was any indication, his method worked.