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Mobile science lab brings ag education to students

A mobile science activity center is bringing agriculture education to school parking lots.

Two 44 foot trailers travel the state of Kentucky and deliver high tech hands-on agricultural learning experiences to students. Program Coordinator Jason Hodge tells Brownfield the mobile science activity center takes away the hassle and cost of a field trip while providing a similar experience.  “It is a very high tech lab, we use computers and iPads to basically educate our children in the state of Kentucky about agriculture.”

The program makes about 100 school visits each year, reaching more than 30,000 students.  “And we still have a waiting list that’s about a year long,”  Hodge tells Brownfield, “We book about a year in advance, nine months to a year in advance, because demand is so high for this program.”  He says the Department is in the process of adding a third trailer to the program.

The Michigan Farm Bureau is currently raising funds to get a similar mobile lab on the ground by 2017 in Michigan.

AUDIO: Interview with Jason Hodge