KINGS,  Ill.- Students in 4th grade at Kings Elementary School discovered the importance of GPS to farmers through an Ag in the Classroom program.  

Some uses of GPS in agriculture include:  field mapping, soil sampling, crop scouting, tractor guidance and variable rate applications.  GPS allows farmers to have tractors with auto-steer.  This helps so there is not overlapping of seeds, chemicals, fertilizers, etc…  GPS allows farmers to plant more seeds in richer soil and fewer seeds in poorer soils.  It is also used when applying fertilizer. Instead of the whole field receiving the same amount of fertilizer, the amount of application is based on the needs of the soil.  

After hearing information about GPS, students participated in a GPS scavenger hunt.  They were trying to be the first to collect 11 letters to spell a word.  Once the letters were unscrambled they found the word was agriculture.

Agriculture in the Classroom is a program to help students gain a greater awareness of the role of agriculture in the economy and society.  Students learn that thousands of farm products are in the world around them—on their plate, in the clothes they wear, in the medicine that makes them well, and in earth-friendly fuels and plastics.  

Ag in the Classroom is offered through the University of Illinois Extension in partnership with Ogle County Farm Bureau, Carroll County Farm Bureau, Ogle County Soil & Water, and Carroll County Soil & Water.  For more information about the program, call the Ogle County Extension Office at (815) 732-2191 or visit the Extension website at web.illlinois.edu/bdo.

If you need reasonable accommodations to participate in programming, contact the Ogle County Extension office, 815-732-2191. Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time for meeting your needs.