LARAMIE, June 5, 2017--“Sharing our stories as farmers and ranchers is more important in today’s day and age than ever,” said Raenell Taylor, WyFB YF&R Promotions Sub-Committee Chair. “The “Ag Books for Kids” program gives us an opportunity to make a difference for agriculture in Wyoming. It is very rewarding as we look at the contest entries and see what these young Wyomingites are learning about agriculture.”

            Students from across Wyoming learned more about agriculture again this year and were recently recognized for their participation in the 2017 Wyoming Farm Bureau (WyFB) “Ag Books for Kids” contests. The 2017 contests included: Coloring Contest for kindergarten and first grade; Poster Contest for second and third graders; and a Creative Writing Contest for fourth and fifth graders.

This year county Farm Bureaus across the state donated 592 “Big Tractors with Casey and Friends” books by Holly Dufek to Wyoming elementary schools as part of the WyFB Young Farmer & Rancher Committee “Ag Books for Kids” project. The students then had the opportunity to participate in a contest to show what they learned about agriculture.

The state winners in each of the three contests all received a $50 gift card from the Wyoming Farm Bureau, an agriculture book titled “Big Tractors with Casey and Friends,” and a prize bag from Case IH. The book was signed by the Honorable Governor Matt Mead. The state runner-ups in each of the contests received a $25 gift card from the Wyoming Farm Bureau, an agriculture book, and a prize bag from Case IH.

Coloring Contest

Crook County first grader Gabe Jukkala was the state winner of the coloring contest. Jukkala is a first grader at Moorcroft School and his teacher is Mrs. Davis.

Annie Tremain, of Goshen County, was the state runner-up. She is in kindergarten in Mrs. Meier’s class at LaGrange Elementary.

Poster Contest

Dawson George, a third grader from Park County, won the state poster contest. George’s teacher is Mrs. Ashby at Westside Elementary in Powell.

The state runner-up was Cormac Gernant, of Albany County. Gernant is in Mrs. Vendela’s third grade class at Laramie Montessori School.

Creative Writing Contest

Weston County fourth grader Zoey Wilson won the creative writing contest. Wilson is a student at Upton Elementary School.

Fourth grader Keston Johnson, of Lincoln County, was the state runner-up. Her teacher is Mr. Barnes at Osmond Elementary.

In its thirteenth year, the “Ag Books for Kids” program is a project of the WyFB Young Farmer & Rancher Committee. The grassroots efforts of the county Farm Bureaus who donate the books and help educate about agriculture contributes greatly to the program’s success. The program’s purpose is to educate children about agriculture and its importance to us all.

The Wyoming Farm Bureau Federation is the state’s largest general agriculture organization. Visit www.wyfb.org.