Highlights from "Ag in the Bag"

AG Industry making it their Business to Educate Our Youth

The agricultural education program- Ag in the Bag was recently conducted by agricultural partners on the South Plains. An outdoor classroom was developed where 1,500 plus students learned about agriculture. Lubbock Independent School District (LISD), and several schools from the surrounding area brought third and fourth grade students on October 18 through October 20 for a learning experience.

artners from the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Texas Corn Producers, Texas Farm Bureau, Texas Tech University, Plains Cotton Growers, Texas Peanut Producers, Texas Grain Sorghum and Texas Wheat Producers, Texas Cooperative Extension, Texas Department of Agriculture and more, gave interactive educational presentations to the students for three days at the Texas Tech Livestock Pavilion on campus.

Lynn Simmons, manager of communications with South Plains Electric Co-op and program coordinator said, “This marks the fifth annual “Ag in the Bag” fair providing an educational experience.”


The program featured nine educational stations demonstrating how animals, plants and water are an integral part of our everyday food and fiber world. Students visited each station for 15 minute sessions.

NRCS presented Water and Soil “the perfect combination”, a program developed using a rainfall simulator to demonstrate how water erosion can occur on soils and how our streams, lakes and rivers can become filled with sediment without preventive measures applied to protect bare ground in urban and rural areas. Students learn how farmers work to apply efficient irrigation methods to their crops for conserving one of our most precious natural resources-- water. The agricultural partnership is hoping this learning experience will last a lifetime for the children.

Planning for next year’s “Ag in the Bag” is already underway as the planning committee awaits input from the teacher’s program survey. “The teacher’s input is very important to us,” said Simmons, “We want their ideas so we can help them incorporate our program information and apply it to their teaching course.”

Over the past few years, the committee has gained support from other agri-businesses. “We want the program to continue to grow, our children need to understand the basics in agriculture and how it impacts their lives,” said Simmons.