The 18th Annual Taste of Ag is Tuesday from 5 to 7:30 p.m. at the Kosciusko County Fairgrounds. The theme this year celebrates the diversity of Kosciusko County agriculture with the theme of “A Taste of Agriculture in Kosciusko County: A Family Affair. The event is open to the public and all attendees receive a gift for attending. According to a provided press release for the event, “Diversity truly describes the experience you will have while attending this event. Whether you enjoy great food, fun for the children, activities of all types or seeing animals – this is definitely the place for you and your family.” Grocery gift certificates totaling $1,500 will be given out, and there will be door prizes valued at over $1,000. This includes product or gift certificates of varying amounts for locally raised products such as soy candles, beef, pork, dairy and duck and the ever-popular T-shirts also will be included in the celebration. There will be a coloring contest for children. Full contest rules and entry forms are available at the Extension Office or at the office’s website. Start off the evening with the opportunity to enjoy supper hosted by the agriculture community. There will be an opportunity to taste ice cream, cheese, various pork products, duck, popcorn, beef, eggs, goat cheese, salsa and chips and more. The children’s activity corner is back by popular demand, the release states. Bring your camera to take pictures at the display boards while meeting Corny Corn and the “Whole Gang.” Face painting, balloons and more are being added for the kids. The Wawasee FFA also is hosting a pedal pull for the kids. Registration starts at 5 p.m. for children ages 5 to 10. Prizes will be awarded for the top finishers in each age division. The pedal pull will be held in the Show Arena at 5:30 p.m. Also on display will be over 20 different booths representing agriculture in the county. Booths participating include beef, dairy, swine, ducks, chickens, crops, soil and water quality, farm machinery, 4-H, Master Gardeners, Northern Indiana Pet Breeders Association, Solid Waste, goats, rabbits, FFA, horses, The Old Farmhouse, Farm Service Agency, Farm Bureau, Honey Producers, Beachler Maple Syrup, Protect the Harvest and Lakes and Streams. You can also get a head start on your garden, make a mini-composting unit and more. Families can again work together on a scavenger hunt to find answers to questions relating to agriculture. Children who participate will receive a great prize. The goal of the evening program is to provide an interactive educational opportunity for both youth and adults to learn about agriculture in Kosciusko County, the release states. As the title implies, people attending the event will have the chance to taste samples of the various products grown in Kosciusko County. For those booths that do not produce a food commodity, they will have an activity to participate in or animals to visit. The free event is sponsored by the Kosciusko County: Agriculture Awareness Committee, Extension Office, Farm Bureau, County Community Foundation, Cargill Animal Nutrition and supported by the Kosciusko County Community Fair. For more information or questions, contact the Purdue Extension Kosciusko County Office at 574-372-2340 or visit the county website at www.extension.purdue.edu/kosciusko or like it on Facebook under Kosciusko County Ag Awareness.
