Students from across Wyoming learned more about agriculture again this year and were recently recognized for their participation in the 2019 Wyoming Farm Bureau (WyFB) “Ag Books for Kids” contests. The 2019 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 807 “A Year on the Farm with Casey & 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. County winners were forwarded to the district where three winners were selected. District winners all received a copy of “A Year on the Farm with Casey & Friends” and were forwarded to the state contest. See page 7 for district winners. Coloring Contest Johnson County kindergarten student Keaton Fowler was the state winner of the coloring contest. Fowler received a $50 gift card from the Wyoming Farm Bureau, an agriculture book titled “A Year on the Farm with Casey & Friends” and a prize bag from Case IH. The book was signed by the Honorable Governor Mark Gordon. Fowler completed kindergarten with Mrs. Ludwig at Meadowlark Elementary in Buffalo. Brooklyn Hoffman, of Weston County, was the state runner-up. Hoffman received a $25 gift card, an agriculture book and a prize bag from Case IH. She completed first grade with Mrs. McConkey at Newcastle Elementary School. Poster Contest Kiley Wilcox, of Platte County, won the state poster contest. Wilcox received a $50 gift card, an agriculture book titled “A Year on the Farm with Casey & Friends” and a prize bag from Case IH. The book was signed by the Honorable Governor Mark Gordon. Wilcox completed 2nd grade in Ms. Hegglund’s class at Glendo Elementary. Receiving a $25 gift card, a copy of “A Year on the Farm with Casey & Friends” and a prize bag from Case IH for the state runner-up was Colson Titensor, from Lincoln County. Creative Writing Contest Fremont County fourth grader Rylee Dockery won the creative writing contest. Dockery completed the 4th grade in Mr. Hemingway’s class at Jeffrey City Elementary. She received a $50 gift card from the Wyoming Farm Bureau, an agriculture book titled “A Year on the Farm with Casey & Friends” and a prize bag from Case IH. The book was signed by the Honorable Governor Mark Gordon. Macy Tremain, of Goshen County, was the state runner-up. Tremain received a $25 gift card, an agriculture book and a prize bag from Case IH. Tremain is a student at LaGrange Elementary. “Educating elementary students about agriculture is key to our future in agriculture,” Raenell Taylor, WyFB YF&R Promotions Committee Chair, said. “It is very rewarding each year to see the elementary students improve upon the knowledge they are learning about agriculture while also helping them to put a face with agriculture." Building the collection of agriculture reading materials in Wyoming elementary libraries so students could learn more about the importance of agriculture was the original goal of the “Ag Books for Kids” project. That goal remains the same. The project has continued to grow with more books being donated each year and more opportunities for students to apply what they are learning about agriculture with age appropriate contests. Throughout the years, nearly 8,107 books have been donated to elementary school libraries by the county Farm Bureaus. In its fifteenth 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.