Four States Ag Expo

MSTFP began coordinating the children's program at the Four States Agricultural Exposition in 2016, inviting an array of regional agricultural experts to connect with youngsters and teach what they know best.  The Ag Expo itself takes place over three days at the Montezuma County Fairgrounds in mid March. The Children's Agricultural Learning Facility (CALF) offers hands-on learning to school groups for the first two days of the event, and is open to the public on Saturday.

in 2016 and 2017 over 400 students from southwest Colorado attended CALF on school fieldtrips. These students spent two hours participating in hands-on activities designed to build deeper understanding and appreciation for all kinds of agriculture.  In 2017, over 600 people visited the CALF barn on Saturday!

In just a glance around the facility during the Expo, one could see youngsters saving seeds, practicing leatherworking techniques, driving horses, testing various soils' ability to act as a filter, working with Navajo Churro fiber, examining the insides of a beehive, and sticking their snacks together with frosting to imitate a live welding demonstration. When not fully enraptured by bleating goats, rabbits, or a horse colorfully painted to externally display its digestive system, students could also be seen participating in relays (to sort the sources of different products), and dice games (teaching about water conservation).  What an incredible scene!

To all of the teachers, chaperones, and families who brought their kids to CALF, and to all of our presenters who contributed their time and energy to this event - THANK YOU! We hope you had a great experience, and look forward to seeing you next year. 

We'd also like to thank the Four States Agricultural Exposition Board for inviting MSTFP to become more involved in CALF, and for providing such excellent support to our team during the event.