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Chicken Little meets her biggest fanThe little two-year-old girl was dressed in a pretty pink jacket and flowered leggings. Her blonde hair curled to frame her face and her wide eyes. She was standing in the poultry barn at the Kansas State Fair in awe of the chickens, geese and turkeys. My son reached into his chicken's cage and pulled out his hen, Chicken Little. She ran toward him, her mother following closely behind. She reached up to pet the hen. Campbell stood there, holding his chicken while the little girl literally experienced agriculture first-hand. The girl's dad whipped out his camera--as did I. While the girl is too young to remember the encounter, Campbell and Chicken Little are bound to be recorded in the little girl's scrapbook forever. When the Reno County Agricultural Society held its first fair in 1873, the goal was to share agriculture with the community. The event would later become the Kansas State Fair. Over the years, the fair has changed and grown, but agriculture is still the center of the event. Chicken Little's encounter with her little fan is exactly the kind of interaction that state fair boards intended. Thankfully, many Midwest state fairs continue to embrace their agriculture roots. They showcase livestock and crop exhibits, as well as provide many agricultural educational opportunities. In fact, today's Kansas State Fair calls itself "Kansas' Largest Classroom." A walk around the fairgrounds shows many exhibits featuring one of the state's largest industries. In fact, a new exhibit by Kansas Wheat is inspired by a successful interactive wheat exhibit in New York City. The organization, and its member farmers, are teaching state fair goers the entire "Farm to Fork" process--from a wheat field to hand-grinding wheat to examples of tasty wheat recipes. At the Iowa State Fair held recently, the Ag Magic Show entices children with magic, but ultimately teaches them--and their parents--about the importance of agriculture to everyday life. No matter what state or what the exhibit, state fairs provide a valuable opportunity to make a connection between producer and consumer. Many times visitors are drawn to the fair for the everything-on-a-stick food, carnival rides and grandstand shows. But many of them venture beyond the midway to see what else the fair entails. It is a perfect opportunity to connect with consumers. My son and his little chicken admirer made that connection. It was just one of many being made at state fairs this fall. Congratulations to each agricultural producer and their producer associations for taking the time to make sure consumers have a positive experience. Holly Martin can be reached by phone at 620-227-1806, or by e-mail at hmartin@hpj.com.
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