Tonto NRCD

Tonto’s Agriculture Awareness Program & Ag Daze

The Tonto NRCD focuses much of its conservation efforts on educating the next generation about agriculture and conservation and the importance both have on all our futures. The Agriculture Awareness Program, and subsequently Ag Daze, started in 2011. During the 2011/2012 school year, over 1,000 schoolchildren throughout Gila County had the opportunity to experience the Agriculture Awareness Program. Since then, the Program has grown to reach 1,300 school children. The Program is part of the educational goals of the Tonto Natural Resource Conservation District (NRCD) Learning Center and has been developed in conjunction with the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension 4-H Youth Development Program in Gila County. In order, to address the ever-pressing need to “connect children with nature” and avoid what some call “nature-deficit disorder” in our youth, the Program was designed to meet the nationwide initiative that no child be left inside!

The Agriculture Awareness Program was initially a pilot program in the spring of 2010 at Payson Elementary School for 5th graders. Following a successful pilot, the program was fine-tuned and taken to 4th graders at Charles Bejarano Elementary in Miami, Tonto Basin School, Young School, and Copper Rim Elementary in Globe using funding from a USDA Forest Service RAC grant. Fourth graders at Julia Randall Elementary had the chance to participate during the 2011/2012 school year. In the 2015/2016 school year, 4th graders at Pine Elementary, Payson Community Christian School, and Destiny Charter School also participated. The 4th grade was chosen as the focus group because the state of Arizona is a major part of the fourth-grade social studies curriculum.

After five different lessons aimed at developing agriculture literacy, students are taken to “Ag Daze” at the H-4 Ranch in Tonto Basin for a full day of hands-on agricultural experiences. Classroom lessons are all one hour long and address state educational standards. Upon arrival at the Ranch, each child receives a bag with a t-shirt recognizing their participation and a wooden board, which they can brand with their initials to take home. Another hands-on activity is planting flowers to take home. The students could also mine for gold at a mining station. One highlight for all attendees is the wagon rides provided by Old West Adventures. Later in the day students can observe cattle branding procedures as well as vaccinations and ear tagging. Following a picnic lunch, the students rotate through five different stations: Super Looper (a chance to try their hand at roping steer dummies), Rockin’ Rodeo (a stick horse obstacle course), a Petting Zoo, Harnessing Demonstration, and Farm Fun (a race on tricycle tractors with wagons and milking cows!). In 2015/2016, a couple of new stations were added: the Water Wagon station teaches students about water conservation and how to be “water-wise,” and Payson High School became involved by providing a Woodworking station where each child is given a kit to assemble their own wooden birdhouse. At the close of the day, a ceremony is held to recognize everyone for taking part in the Program, to remind them that agriculture affects everyone every day, and to give out a few awards to recognize good sportsmanship, manners, and overall winning attitudes!

Objectives of this Program are being met and expectations of success are exceeded! The greatest sign of success has been the many letters of thanks Tonto NRCD has received. Still, most of all, seeing excited faces as children experience something new and make a memory that will last a lifetime has become the greatest reward! One child summed up Ag Daze by saying “this was the very best day of my life!” As you see many children in the communities proudly wearing their Ag Daze t-shirts feel free to ask them about the program and they will surely tell you why agriculture is important and what it provides for us all!