Enjoy a day of free activities at the Science and Ag Family Field Day at the University of Nebraska Haskell Agriculture Laboratory near Concord Wednesday, July 24. Guests of all ages, including children and families, are welcome to drop in throughout the day.
Tinker, Create, and Get a Little Dirty
Among the many family activities, there will be opportunities to engage with STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math):
• Create and reshape small-scale topography in an augmented reality (AR) sandbox.
• Build a “Farm of the Future” by envisioning and adding design elements via a collaborative cardboard construction project.
• Engage in an engineering design challenge to build and test an irrigation system via a “Vertical Farming” marble run challenge.
Registration starts at 8:30 a.m. and guests are welcome to drop in throughout the day to enjoy family activities, crop-related presentations, field tours, and educational activities for all ages. The event includes a noon lunch sponsored by the Nebraska Soybean Board with keynote speakers Jenny Keshwani and Erin Ingram, university specialists in science literacy, speaking on "Cultivating Science Literacy through Wonder and Curiosity."
Also speaking will be Mike Boehm, NU vice president and vice-chancellor of the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, and Marysz Rames, president of Wayne State College with information on the Northeast Education Compact.
The day will feature morning presentations by Nebraska Extension specialists and educators in two tracks:
Agriculture, with presentations on soybean gall midge (Tom Hunt), Nebraska land values and cash rental rates (Jim Jansen), effects of dicamba micro-rates on non-dicamba tolerant soybeans (Stevan Knezevic), and managing forage production risks (Jay Parsons); and
STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts/Agriculture, Math) for Educators and Students, with presentations on STEM everyday for youth (Angela Abts), the good, the bad, and the microbial of soil health (Megan Taylor); weird science (Sarah Roberts), and Project Learning Tree (Hanna Pinneo).
Other activities include robotics, the maker space trailer, a science literacy trailer, the Mobile Beef Lab, archery, blender bikes, cover crop demonstrations, healthy snack demonstrations, food safety, blood pressure checks, and numerous other programs.
Backyard Farmer will have a live question and answer panel from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. A walking tour of the Northeast Arboretum and information on bee research at HAL will be available in the morning and afternoon as well as drawings for free trees. These booths and activities will be available from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Research tours will be conducted in the morning and afternoon. The day will conclude at 3:30 p.m. For more information, view the program brochure, or visit the website or Facebook page.
Directions and Registration
The Haskell Agricultural Lab is 1½ miles east of Concord (see map to site); all activities will be at the HAL farm site ¼ mile east of the HAL Headquarters Building. While registration is not required, it is appreciated so organizers can plan for food. Register online or call Mary at 402-584-3828. The event will take place rain or shine.
