Agripalooza provides kids with hands-on activities

CHATHAM, Mich. (WLUC) – Agripalooza is a yearly outdoor learning event hosted at the Michigan State University Upper Peninsula Research and Extension Center in Chatham, giving local students an opportunity to explore agriculture and natural resource topics through hands-on activities.

MSU U.P. Research and Extension Center Director James DeDecker says the students are exposed to 32 stations at the event.

“That many partners that come out to participate in the event,” DeDecker said. “So, that spans the breath of groups all across the Upper Peninsula and different sectors of agriculture and natural resource economy.”

DeDecker says the program is coordinated by the Marquette and Alger Conservation Districts and welcomes more than 300 fifth-grade students from across the central Upper Peninsula each year.

Students spend the day discovering the importance of farming, conservation, environmental stewardship and the region’s natural resources. Alger Conservation District Manager Eryn Grupido says the interactive aspect of the event is engaging for the kids.

“We have a demonstration today joining the great apple crunch- which is for the state of Michigan which is one of our large produce items that goes out,” Grupido said. “So, we have apples from local orchards and their tasting the difference between the different apples.”

DeDecker says the program also helps students better understand the community they live in.

“We feel it’s really important to get youth out and expose them to different topics in agriculture and natural resources,” DeDecker said. “Only about two percent of people are farmers these days. And so, it’s important for the kids to know where their food comes from. Understand natural resources a s the basis for our U.P. economy here.”

Agripalooza gives students in the U.P. a hands-on introduction to agriculture, conservation, and the natural resources that help sustain local communities.

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