Agricultural isn’t just about plows and sows anymore. Not with the ever-changing technological landscape that has created ag-adjacent jobs that didn’t even exist a few decades ago.

But agriculture is still very much about planting seeds.

Ag leaders from throughout the region were on hand Thursday at the Stanislaus County Fairgrounds for the Farm Bureau’s annual Ag Edventure program, where they planted seeds with nearly 1,300 third-graders – from Turlock, Hughson and Chatom school districts – in hopes they’ll take root and sprout into an interest in ag.

Take trees for instance. Tom Burchell, owner of Burchell Nursery in Oakdale, said there’s a lot more to growing a tree than just digging a hole in the ground.

“It’s not only the agronomics of growing a tree,” said Burchell. “There’s the soil science, the plant-health science, horticulture science. You’ve also got the insect science – entomology – and the disease science. To make a healthy tree, there’s the fertilizer side of things. Plus, we have a breeding program, so there’s the genetics behind what makes a good tree, and how we crossbreed to make new varieties to be better in terms of disease resistance and drought resistance. There’s a lot to it.”

Burchell’s was one of about 50 stations that were set up, along with 12 additional animal stations, that featured presenters such as the University of California Cooperative Extension, Turlock Irrigation District, the East Stanislaus Resource Conservation District, Garton Tractor, California Ag in the Classroom, Blue Diamond, Dave Wilson Nursery, the Almond Board of California, the county ag commissioner, the sheriff's department, and many others.

“We work with farmers, ranchers, and just a bunch of people in the ag community,” said Abi Fair, the Farm Bureau’s media coordinator. “They come and talk to third-graders about all the things they do.

“This year we were able to partner with Turlock and Pitman high schools. They’re doing 20 stations – each school is handling 10 – and they’re mainly focusing on our county’s top commodities.”

One stop featured tractors provided by Garton Tractor in Turlock. (Can you imagine being 8 years old and allowed to play on a real tractor – and not getting into trouble for it?)

“I think it’s great that Turlock puts on events like this,” said Tom Garton, the company’s owner. “So many of these kids don’t even know what a tractor is … or a horse or a cow. This might be their first exposure to all this. I hope they take away that there’s a lot more to our food process than just buying it at Costco.”

Mark Avilla, a member of the bureau’s board of directors, is a fourth-generation farmer in the region.

“My hope is that the kids just get their first taste of what ag is,” Avilla said. “A lot of these students have never seen livestock before. I went to school for ag communications, so ag literacy has always been big for me. And the best way to address that is to get kids involved early.”

Undoubtedly, the most popular stations were those featuring animals. Christi Fair introduced kids to a pair of donkeys: 10-year-old Mama and 4-year-old Queenie.

Those well-known beasts of burden, donkeys still play a significant role on farms today.

“I think donkeys get a bad rap,” said Christi Fair. “They’re just considered hard-working animals, but they’re loving, sympathetic animals. And they love children.”

Fair said she understands that younger generations are not as likely as they once were to carry on a family’s farming tradition.

“Being a farmer just doesn’t pay the bills like it once did,” she said. “And you can’t blame them. It’s a lot of work for a little pay.”

That’s why events such as Ag Edventure are so important for kids who might not understand that they’re growing up surrounded by the greatest farmland in the known galaxy. And that the jobs they’ll someday seek, are plentiful in the ag industry.

“The people here love what they do, and they are so excited to share the things they’re working on,” said Abi Fair. “I hope the kids walk away knowing it’s important to grow food and to take care of the environment, and are inspired by that.”

Eight-year-old Yolanda, a student at Medeiros Elementary School, sure seemed to be inspired. She said her favorite part of the day was petting a horse. And when asked about the TID educational trailer, she replied, “It was cool! I learned a lot of stuff about (long pause) stuff.”

Asked if she might like to work on a farm someday, she nodded to confirm. “Maybe working with animals?” she was asked. Another nod.

“Maybe as a veterinarian?” came the follow-up question. Yet another nod.

Consider the seeds planted.