BONNERS FERRY — Fifth graders from across the community got to learn about agriculture, forestry and natural resources as the University of Idaho hosted its first Boundary County Farm and Forest Discovery Day. 

The event featured local experts at 11 interactive stations where students could engage in hands-on activities and demonstrations. They graders spent time with goats, climbed on tractors and spun a wheel with Boundary County commissioners. 

Amy Robertson, the FCS/4-H extension educator for the University of Idaho’s Boundary County Extension Office, said several places in North Idaho already host similar events. 

“We wanted to have one ourselves,” Robertson said. 

“Boundary County is a large agriculture and forestry county, and that’s where a lot of our jobs are,” Robertson said. “Because they are such important industries in our county, we want to educate the youth. So, we invited all the schools — obviously the public schools, but also Foundations and homeschoolers.” 

Robertson said interaction with experts was one of the main goals of the day. 

“It’s to come away with understanding, one, where their food comes from,” Robertson said. “But also getting opportunities to interact with people who are in agriculture and forestry industries and learn about our natural resources.” 

Robertson recalled hearing one student say, “I’ve never seen a real-life sheep before.” 

The event is expected to continue annually. 

“We already decided it’s going to happen again next year,” Robertson said. “We’ll probably move it up to late April. This time of year, there’s a lot going on.” 

“I’m really thankful for everyone who stepped up to help,” Robertson said.

Cassie Olson, promotion and engagement chairperson for the Boundary County Farm Bureau, gave a demonstration using an apple to represent Earth. 

“My husband and I are farmers, so it’s really important to us,” Olson said. “I cut this apple up into little, tiny pieces all the way down to what’s left of farmland to feed 8.2 billion people.” 

“I always tell them to think of the apple as the globe,” Olson said. “Then I cut it into three-fourths, which is the water on Earth.” 

Olson cuts more pieces, symbolizing inhabitable land and areas where humans live until only a tiny piece of the apple remains. 

“That last piece is the actual farmland in the whole world,” Olson said. “Seeing that little, tiny sliver helps them understand why soil is so important and why farmers are so important.” 

“We take it for granted living in Boundary County that there are so many farms, and in the state of Idaho there are so many farms,” Olson said. “But in the bigger picture, there’s very little.” 

Olson said children in larger cities often do not understand where food originates. 

“In bigger cities, kids really do not understand where their food comes from,” Olson said. “Everything comes from the grocery store. But before it came to the grocery store, it came on a truck. Where did it come from before that?” 

Boundary County commissioners Lester Pinkerton and Ben Robertson staffed another booth where students learned to identify different tree species. Students spun a wheel and identified trees for a chance to win sunglasses. 

“We were asked to assist, and both Les and I know tree identification,” Ben Robertson said. 

Pinkerton said one student correctly identified every tree on the wheel. 

“One kid got them all right,” Pinkerton said. 

Olson said she hopes the event continues to expand. 

“It’d be really great to see this program grow bigger and become something that can be repeated year after year,” Olson said. 

“Hopefully it’ll just keep getting bigger,” Olson said. “We’ll have more kids and more agencies and people that want to come out and help.” 

    County commissioners Ben Robertson (front left) and Les Pinkerton (back left) talk to fifth grade students, who attempted to identify trees correctly.
  

    Fifth graders gather outside to listen to a presentation at the Boundary County Farm and Forest Discovery Day.