Dallas County Ag in the Classroom partnered with Iowa Corn for an opportunity to share with Iowa State Fair visitors on Friday, Aug. 21. The corn life cycle was brought to life with seed necklaces in three stations on the Grand Concourse.

The small seed necklaces contained two corn kernels and seven water beads showing the things that seeds need to grow. The colors: clear, black, yellow, and blue represented air, soil, sun and water. Three additional colors were used to represent nutrients that seeds need to grow. Jamie Champion, Dallas County Ag in the Classroom coordinator, often asked people to connect some of the foods that they ate at the State Fair with foods/nutrients that seeds need to grow.

Resources from Iowa Agriculture Literacy Foundation were updated and shared with the seed necklaces and at the Iowa Corn trailer during the event. The resources showed basic information about corn and its life cycle. The corn life cycle was shared with each seed necklace made at the fair.

In addition to the resources from IALF, the stations had several books about corn and several ears of field corn, ornamental/decorative corn and even popcorn. Countless people were able to touch these ears of corn and ask Iowa Corn staff and volunteers questions about corn.

“One of the best parts of Iowa Corn Day at the State Fair is having the opportunity to connect with families and help kids learn about agriculture in a fun, hands-on way. Making corn seed necklaces may seem like a simple activity, but it opens the door to conversations about how corn grows, what plants need to thrive and the many ways corn is part of our everyday lives. Watching children and their families get excited about agriculture and knowing they’ll take that experience home with them is what makes opportunities like this so meaningful” notes Denise Forney, VP of Talent and Organizational Development at Iowa Corn.