Fun with ag at county fair

By Jane Myhra

Tessa Nelson, of Waupaca, had fun in the corn and bean play box in the Ag Ventures Activity Area.

Children learned about agriculture by playing games at the Waupaca County Fair.

Commodity Carnival is an interactive game that teaches young fairgoers how to manage the costs and risks associated with raising an animal. This year’s game featured bringing a hog to market.

Area FFA members volunteered to help at the Commodity Carnival.

“It essentially teaches kids the problems and costs of raising a pig, and the risks and rewards,” said Karlie Grundman, of the Weyauwega-Fremont FFA.

The educational game was sponsored by the CME Group, the world’s leading futures exchange, and the National 4-H Council, America’s largest youth development organization. This is the third year for the partnership.

“We are constantly seeking new ways to empower and educate today’s young people,” said Jennifer Sirangelo, president and CEO, National 4-H Council. “The Commodity Carnival has proved an invaluable tool for expanding the agriculture and economic education of both rural and urban youth, and the game teaches elements of business that are applicable beyond farming.”

“With 4-H, we are able to reach young audiences and provide them the tools to kick-start their thinking about food production and the risks that farmers and ranchers face – knowledge that will become crucial as global demand for food increases in the coming decades,” said CME Group Executive Chairman and President Terry Duffy.