Farm to Table event raises awareness of where food comes from

Medford FFA will be holding a Farm to Table Fundraiser on Wednesday, May 4 with seatings at 5 and 6:30 p.m. at Marilyn’s Fire Station Those in attendance will get a taste of the lamb, beef, and pork raised by the students who work in the Medford Area Senior High School barn.

Tickets are available at the MASH Office at the MASH Barn/Ag. Dept. and from FFA members. Tickets must be purchased in advance, there will be no tickets available at the door.

Proceeds from the fundraiser go to the continued operations of the MASH Barn.

In addition to serving as a fundraiser to help with ongoing costs of the School Barn, the event also serves a real reminder to people about where their food comes from.

“Consumers are constantly wanting to know more and more about the food they consume,” said MASH Ag instructor Lisa Kopp. “Consumers want a transparent food process where we can feel knowledgeable and part of the process. Knowing where their food comes from makes them feel safe, and proud to eat it. They also feel like they’ve supported a process they believe in.”

“It takes a lot of work to raise the meat we eat, here at the MASH Barn, or on any farm. Students are able to learn, be part of, and see the processes of all components of raising that animal. We, as farmers, give the best care we can to our livestock- the feeding, the handling, the cleaning, the vet care, etc. They may see animals out in a field but don’t realize how much work goes into taking care of them to harvest weight,” Kopp said.

Kopp said it is important to teach young people about animal agriculture.

“A lot of students are not on production or hobby farms raising their own animals for meat purposes so they don’t experience the trials and tribulations themselves. Students learn first hand how much time and effort goes into raising a wholesome product,” Kopp said.

“Students and other consumers will also take more pride while eating the meat as they know what went into the wholesome product. It is important to teach them about production agriculture as they will understand the purposes of different cuts of meat, as well as the value in the price of the meat when buying it from the store,” she said.

“I sure hope some students will go home and start raising a few animals for their families to consume as a hobby. We need to continue to teach the generations about production agriculture as we are losing farmers, yet becoming large and more efficient in the ways we raise them. I feel many students leave the MASH barn classes and realize they could raise production animals, like hogs, rabbits, beef, chickens, or lambs, in their backyards,” Kopp said.

Agriculture plays an important role in Wisconsin’s economic health. According to the most recent data from Wisconsin Department of Agriculture Trade and Consumer Protections, the state is home to 64,100 farms on 14.2 million acres. The average farm size in Wisconsin is 222 acres.

While Wisconsin is America’s Dairyland there is more produced and processed in the state than just milk and cheese. Wisconsin ranks first in the nation for: snap beans for processing, cheese, cranberries, ginseng, mink pelts, dry whey for humans, milk goats and corn for silage.

Agriculture in the state provides jobs- Annually, 435,700 jobs or 11.8% of the state’s jobs, of that on-farm production contributes 154,000 jobs and processing contributes 282,000 jobs.

“How do we expect students to go into these jobs and roles if we don’t continue to teach the concepts of Agriculture and show them the importance of it?” Kopp said.