Day at the farm for some Tulsa elementary school students

Most of us get our milk at the grocery store, but where did they get it and cotton and wool and flour. Easy questions to answer for most of us, not as easy for many city kids. <br/><br/>As News on 6

Tuesday, February 28th 2006, 10:22 am

By: News On 6

Most of us get our milk at the grocery store, but where did they get it and cotton and wool and flour. Easy questions to answer for most of us, not as easy for many city kids.

As News on 6 reporter Rick Wells explains, getting kids tuned in to agriculture was the purpose of Tuesdayâ€™s "Kid, Kows and More Expo."

Nearly 500 3rd and 4th graders from schools all over Tulsa spent the day Tuesday learning more about agriculture. Tracy Lane with the OSU Extension Service: "Our kids are so removed from farms anymore." They are not exposed to where some of our basic products come from.

Judging from the ahs from the bleachers, when the milk went from Ginger the cow into that glass jar, most of these kids had never seen anything like this before. "This is a great opportunity to educate urban kids about what agriculture is all about."

They learned about dairy cows and beef cows. "We learned that cows have four stomachs." And that cows often have runny noses. "About pigs, about wheat, about cotton."

They learned that cotton comes from a plant, how it becomes thread and eventually a T-shirt. Rick Wells: Did you know where the cotton in your T-shirt came from before today?" "Noâ€ Wool comes from sheep that have to be shorn, not all the sheep thought that was such a great idea.

Here is another pretty awesome fact. "You can wash your money cause it's made out of cotton." Three-quarters cotton, one -quarter linen.

This kind of program, educating kids about agriculture has been used successfully for years in Texas and New Mexico. It is hoped it can be an annual event in Tulsa County as well.