TIFTON — The University of Georgia Tifton Campus participated in Agriculture Literacy Day on Thursday, March 22 in celebration of the Georgia Department of Agriculture’s Agriculture Awareness Week, March 19-23.

Farmers, ranchers, FFA teachers and students, 4-H members and other agriculture industry representatives were invited into local elementary school classrooms to read agriculture books to students in an effort to educate them about the important role agriculture plays in their daily lives.

The UGA Tifton Campus had 16 readers read in seven different schools in Tift County during the 2018 Agriculture Literacy Day.

Others participating in Agriculture Literacy Day statewide included Governor Nathan Deal and Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black.

“We are extremely pleased with the efforts of our local communities in helping us bring the message about the importance of agriculture into the classroom,” Black said. “Georgia Agriculture Awareness Week, and specifically Agriculture Literacy Day, is a great opportunity to speak directly to our youth through a fun and educational medium. It is great to see everyone get involved.”

The goal of Agriculture Literacy Day is to better communicate to students how food and fiber products are produced, the essential role of agriculture in maintaining a strong economy, and appreciation of the role agriculture plays in providing safe, abundant and affordable products.

“Agriculture is Georgia’s largest industry contributing $74.9 billion annually to Georgia’s economy. Those dollars also mean jobs and in Georgia that is 1 in 7 people working in agriculture, forestry, or related fields,” said Donna Rocker, Georgia Agriculture in the Classroom coordinator. “At its most basic form, it is where we get our food, clothing, fuel and shelter, so every child finds agricul culture as something they can identify with. It touches all of us every day.”

Other activities within Georgia Agriculture Awareness Week included Hands-On School Garden Day, Ag Hero Day and Make My Plate Georgia Grown Day.