LEHI — Seven-year-old Jordan Simmons knows about mink.
"They grow really fast and are really stinky," he said.
A student from Mount Mahogany Elementary, Simmons learned all about animals first-hand at the 13th annual fall Farm Field Day, an event sponsored by the Utah State University Agricultural Extension Service and the Utah County Farm Bureau.
Early in September teachers call the extension office to schedule a time. Some 6,000 students are scheduled in one hectic day, said administrative secretary Nola Taylor.
In the spring, four field days are scheduled; in the fall, three. More than 2,200 students went through the program last week. Last spring the 50,000 students attended.
The teaching experience has been held at various Utah County farms over the years but is now at the Lehi Equestrian Center with 14 teaching stations in the barn.
Students sit on upturned buckets to learn about animals, hand-washing, food, beef, wheat, poultry, dairy, safety, bees, pumpkins, fruit, mink and pork.
Presenters come from the farm bureau, various commodity groups, and 4-H after-school programs. Dairy Princess Shannon Griffiths of Salem took turns at the dairy station teaching the kids about milk and milk products with her attendants Trissta Lyman and Amy Syne, both of Payson.
Assisting the various presenters were Future Farmers of America students from Lone Peak, Lehi and Pleasant Grove high schools.
The children watched two border collies, under the guidance of dog trainer Donna Eliason of Willow Creek Dog Training Center of Sandy, put a small herd of hair sheep through their paces. The dogs are trained to respond to voice and whistle commands. When the wind is right, the dogs can respond to whistles from as far as a mile to three miles away.
New this year is a session to introduce teachers to USU's online class about using agriculture in their lessons. Coordinator Vanae Morris taught the class.
The Web site is www.agclassroom.org/ut. Teachers pay a small fee and get three hours of university credit in addition to ready-made lesson plans and other resources.
If teachers know about agriculture, they are better prepared to pass it on to their students, Morris said.
"I'm excited about the teacher program," said second-grade teacher Nicole Nelson. "I'm excited about the resources."
Students were enthused, too.
"It helps me get healthier," Kylie Roylance, 7, said. "They're teaching me how to get more good stuff."
"I learned where stuff comes from, like cheese and meat and beef," said Espen Broburg, 7.
Second-grader Sara Beardall, 7, learned that cheese comes from milk. While that didn't excite her, she was interested to learn that ice cream does, as well.
E-mail: rodger@desnews.com