We are now on day five of twelve of the Minnesota State Fair. While the fair is still about agriculture, the focus has changed from informing farmers to informing non-farmers. There are plenty of FREE, fun, and educational activities you can partake in if you are interested in learning where your food comes from.
My favorite agriculture stops are:
- Moo Booth: Improved last year and located in the dairy cattle barn. Take a tour on how milk goes from cow to carton. Very hands on and informative.
- CHS/FFA Miracle of Birth Center: How often do get to see baby farm animals being born. Come check it out!
- Empire Commons: The Butterheads! (need I say more?)
- Minnesota Farm Bureau Building: Learning about Minnesota farmers, crops and more. There is also a tractor cab simulator!
- Ag/Hort Building: Tour the exhibits (everything from largest pumpkin, to wine tasting). Don’t forget to enter to win FREE groceries for a year at the MN Dept of Ag booth.
- Little Farm Hands: A unique hands on experience for the whole family. Milk a cow, pick apples, etc, then trade in your goods for a treat.
On Tuesday (31st), there will be a chance for you to interact one on one with Minnesota farmers. The Food Alliance of the Midwest is again hosting the MN Cooks Event. This event pairs local farmers with local chefs. Featured demonstrations will happen each hour with a new chef and new local farmers. Celebrity taste testers will also be on hand. Check out the website for more details.
I will be stationed at the Organic Valley booth all day. Stop by, say hello and register to win a year of OV products. At 1pm a local chef will be demonstrating using OV products. Guess what: I get to be a taste tester!! My fellow “celebrity” is the famous Don Shelby of WCCO.
On Wednesday, Jim Riddle, of the University of Minnesota, will be doing a presentation titled “What is Organic Food and Why Should I care” He will be performing in the Ag/Hort building at 10:00am and 3:00pm. See the link below for more information on the topic.
Organic Food handout for web v 2 final
Who says the fair is only about greasy food on stick? (Even though I live for Australian Battered Potatoes each year).
Emily
Zweber Farms is a 4th generation family operated organic dairy. We also specialize in sustainably raised beef, pork and chicken and sell it directly to customers in Minnesota.Visit our website to learn more, www.zweberfarms.com
What an amazing post! I love your perspective of the fair – we all seem to get a little wrapped up in the idea of fried foods on a stick, but there is so much more to the MN State Fair experience! (The fried foods are so tasty, but so are the other fresh foods found there!)