Bringing agricultural education to the local fourth grade students has been a passion of the Yellow Medicine Corn & Soybean Board for over 30 years. This year’s event welcomed nearly 400 local students to Minnesota West Community and Technical College.  

Students from nine different schools spent a day in March 2026 learning about agriculture through hands-on sessions led by commodity groups including soybeans, corn, beef, dairy, farm safety, FFA and electrical safety. The event is supported by members of the Yellow Medicine FFA Chapter, who guided students through the day and answered questions.  

“I think it’s a good age to give them the initial understanding that this is all in their backyard, and there’s so much agriculture,” Yellow Medicine Corn & Soybean board member and Ag in the Classroom Chair Carl Louwagie said. “It gets their brains thinking.”  

With a variety of commodity groups participating, students gain exposure to all aspects of agriculture through interactive activities in each room. In the soybean session, Yellow Medicine Corn & Soybean Directors John Peterson and Steve Brusven helped students understand how soybeans grow and the many ways in which they’re used and promoted via the soybean checkoff.  

 “This event seems to keep growing,” Brusven said. “The students enjoy taking plants and growing them in their classroom.” 

Following the session, teachers brought in soybean seeds planted in containers back to their classrooms, allowing students to continue learning even after the event concludes.  

The success of the event relies heavily on the support of local FFA members, who help keep students moving between sessions and engaged throughout the day. 

“The FFA students love it, they absolutely love helping,” said Yellow Medicine FFA Advisor Perry Oftedahl. “Every year they ask, ‘When is Ag in the Classroom again? Are we going out there again this year?’ They really enjoy being part of community service events like this.” 

Organizers say events like Ag in the Classroom play a key role in strengthening agriculture’s connection to the community. 

“Agriculture needs a stronger voice, and events like this help people better understand its impact,” Louwagie said. “If you make something fun, they don’t realize they’re learning. You kind of trick them into learning.”