photo by: Dylan Lysen

Cordley Elementary fourth grade students Jaslyn Bailon, left, and Savannah Christian, right, pet a young sheep during the Day on the Farm field trip at the Douglas County Fairgrounds on Thursday, Jan. 30, 2019.

Fourth graders from around Douglas County learned about the agriculture industry and the importance of farming during the annual Day on the Farm field trip Thursday at the Douglas County Fairgrounds.

The young kids were there to learn about beekeeping, dairy farming and more. Some Douglas County high school students who participate in Future Farmers of America and 4-H were among the teachers.

Mallory Meek, an agent for the county’s K-State Research and Extension Office, said the event is a good way for young students who are raised in an urban setting to learn and understand where their food comes from.

Meek said more than 1,000 students in total were expected to participate in the event, which continues Friday.

photo by: Dylan Lysen

Free State High School students Lakyn Roehrich, left, a junior, and Madison Reid, a freshman, show students a bee smoker, a device used by beekeepers to generate smoke and calm their bees. Roehrich and Reid taught the students about how bees pollinate plants.

photo by: Dylan Lysen

Sonja Hart, of Frontier Farm Credit, holds a chicken for students to pet during the Day at the Farm event at Douglas County Fairgrounds on Thursday, Jan 30, 2020.

photo by: Dylan Lysen

Two heifers lounge in the background as Halley Flory, left, a sophomore at Baldwin High School, and Baylee Wulfkuhle, right, a senior at Shawnee Heights High School, teach the students about the animals and the products made from them, from hamburger to leather goods.

photo by: Dylan Lysen

Callie Toews, of Southwest Dairy Farmers, shows students a machine used to milk cows. Toews taught the students about the dairy industry and how often milk is used in their food. She then used the milker on Coco, the cow in the background, to produce about a gallon of milk.