Sitting west of Dodge City and approximately 70 miles from the Colorado state line, Garden City is a melting pot of western Kansas agriculture in a big (little) city. Although the city is home to several cattle feed yards and other agriculture industries, area students don’t always get the opportunity to learn the importance of agriculture in their lives.

But for one day in January, students in Finney, Gray, Haskell and Kearny counties experience agriculture in a hands-on environment at the Finney County Friends on the Farm Day.    

The event began in 1999, so this year marked the 25th anniversary of teaching fourth-grade students the importance of agriculture.

SOIL TO SIP AND SOUP

But first, soup.

To kick off the 25th-anniversary celebration, Finney County Farm Bureau hosted an event the day before Friends on the Farm Day they coined “Soil to Sip and Soup” – an event they got to put on for being members of the Garden City Chamber of Commerce.

“The chamber invites members to have an event every so often,” Carol Deaver, Finney County Farm Bureau president, says. “This helps us increase awareness about what happens on farms and ranches to a broader audience.”

The event featured several Farm Bureau members battling it out for a coveted golden ladle for best soup. Attendees could walk around the spacious Finney County Fairgrounds exhibition building, taste-test soup recipes, then vote for their favorite. A sausage tortellini soup won, but the competition was fierce, and no one left hungry.

ANNUAL TRADITION 25 YEARS STRONG

The inaugural Friends on the Farm Day in ‘99 was exclusive for Finney County fourth-grade students. The program teaches students about the food they eat every day and how close they are to agriculture. The first year saw 250 students.

In 2024, the 25th anniversary celebration reached nearly 800 students from Finney and surrounding counties.

Kim Currin, a fourth-grade teacher at Jennie Wilson Elementary in Garden City, says she’s been coming every year for 20 years.

“The kids love it,” she says. “For these kids to be able to crawl on the farm equipment or to touch the animals, that’s something they remember.”

The event has consistently seen numbers in the upper 700s to 800 but shifted gears to continue the legacy during the pandemic.

“We typically change things a little bit from year to year,” Deaver says, “but in 2020, we had to get creative.”

The county developed a YouTube channel specifically for its Friends on the Farm Day – they didn’t want to miss a year.

“We had our presenters record a video and we sent the YouTube channel to teachers,” Deaver says. “Of course, we prefer the in-person approach to teaching kids about agriculture, but we maintained the connection with kids and teachers while educating important agricultural knowledge.”

No matter the circumstances, there’s a nearly palpable love the organizers have for the event. 

“This event is very near and dear to my heart,” Deaver says. “It’s an important thing to be a part of – to share what farmers and ranchers do with these kids because nearly everything we use every day starts on a farm or ranch.”

PRESENTATION PARTNERS

The day is a collaborative effort by area Farm Bureau members and volunteers, as well as high school and college students manning the 12 stations, which included stops to learn about caring for goats and sheep, and the opportunity to learn about several implements, combines, tractors and commodity groups.

The presenters at the 25th anniversary included:

• Holcomb FFA
• Central Plains Equipment
• Nutrien
• Sowers Hay
• Garden City Coop
• Kansas Soybean
• Dairy Max
• Garden City FFA
• American Implement
• NRCS
• Kan Equip
• West Plains Extension
• Kansas Corn
• Kansas Farm Bureau

One presenter, Louis Nusser, has been helping with the event since the beginning; 25 years of volunteering to teach area youth about agriculture.

“I work for Central Plains Equipment,” Nusser says. “It used to be called Garden City Farm Equipment but changed hands a few years ago. It’s the same place, same dealership, I’m the same old salesman.”

Nusser has been a salesman for Central Plains Equipment for 40 years and a dedicated volunteer for the event.

“I’ve seen a lot of fourth graders in 25 years,” he says. “It’s important to introduce kids to agriculture who don’t know much about farming anymore. Out of the groups this morning, only three live on a farm. It’s an important program to educate people who may not otherwise know where their food comes from besides McDonald’s and the grocery store.”

He says he’s hanging up his hat after this year. Twenty-five years of volunteering is a good run.

TEACHER TRAINING

Friends on the Farm Day is also an opportunity to teach the teacher.

“We have ag in the classroom type activities, too,” Deaver says. “The teachers leave their students with a Garden City Community College Collegiate Farm Bureau member, and the teachers get to have fun and learn. This year, we had representatives from Kansas Farm Bureau and Dairy MAX teach them some hands-on activities they can take back to their classrooms.”

“I appreciate that they brought back the teacher training,” Currin says. “We learned how to make butter, so for one of our featured “Fun Fridays,” we’re going to make butter with our class.”

LASTING IMPRESSION

Teachers and students have benefitted from the Finney County Friends on the Farm Day – leaving lasting memories and lessons for years.

“When my son was in fourth grade, he came to this event,” Currin says. “He’s 26 now and still has a little keychain tractor they gave out the day he got to come to the Friends on the Farm Day.”

The person who gave him that tractor was Louis Nusser. Twenty-five years strong on impacting youth at the Friends on the Farm Day in Finney County.

Learn more about Finney County Farm Bureau on its Facebook page.

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