Submitted photo Two 4th grade students work together to create a plant pal so they can watch a soybean germinate while at the elementary fall field day at the SWROC

LAMBERTON — Jefferson’s 4th graders spent a day learning about farm and electrical safety, static electricity, composting, plant growth, food supply, animal tracks and scat, and exotic animals at the University of Minnesota Southwest Research and Outreach Center near Lamberton recently.

Over 600 4th grade students from 12 different schools participated in University of Minnesota Extension’s annual Fall Elementary Field Day on September 20-22. Each field day included hands-on learning opportunities like making foam pizzas to learn about food supply, finding worms for classroom composting kits, and assembling soybean “plant pals”.

The field days also engaged FFA officers from Red Rock Central, Windom, and Redwood Falls high schools. The FFA students helped lead the farm safety lessons with representatives from Cottonwood County Farm Bureau and Redwood County Farm Bureau.

Other agencies/organizations that presented were the Prairie Ecology Bus Center, Cottonwood County USDA-Farm Service Agency, South Central Electric, East River Electric, and Cottonwood County 4-H. The Zoo Man made a return with his snakes and tortoises as well.

Participating schools included: Westbrook-Walnut Grove, Red Rock Central, Windom, Mt. Lake Public, Jefferson Elementary (New Ulm), Lakeview (Cottonwood), Reede Gray (Redwood Falls), Springfield, St. John’s Lutheran (Redwood Falls), Tracy, St. Anne’s (Wabasso), and Wabasso.