BY MATT KELLER
The Glass Barn is more than just a building. It is an agricultural education initiative that goes well beyond the fun and learning during the 18- day Indiana State Fair. Each year, thousands of Indiana elementary and middle school students are invited to visit the Glass Barn for in-person and virtual field trips presented by the State Fairgrounds Education Team and the Global Barns Initiative.
The Indiana Corn Marketing Council (ICMC) funds curriculum for the Journey of Corn field trip where students learn about the different types of corn that are grown in the state, the different parts of the plant, all the different ways corn is used – food, feed, fiber and fuel – and are even given the opportunity to grow five different types of corn in a glove to take home.
The Indiana Soybean Alliance (ISA) funds curriculum for a field trip called It’s All About the Genes. This is a virtual program where middle school students learn about biotechnology and how genetics play into the ways soybeans are grown in Indiana. Students discuss genetic modification, evaluate the reliability of information sources and extract DNA from soybeans to determine if they are conventional or genetically altered beans.
Stephanie DeCamp, Education Director at the Indiana State Fairgrounds and lead facilitator for the field trips is
excited about the direction and interest in these programs and couldn’t be happier with their growth.
“We have seen an incredible increase in interest for our virtual programs since they were introduced in 2014,”
DeCamp said. “We have actually heard from schools as far away as California who want to participate in the It’s All About the Genes virtual program. During the 2021-22 school year, 3,500 students participated in It’s all About the Genes, and more than 4,300 students participated in the Journey of Corn program.
“We can’t say enough about the value of our partnership with ISA and ICMC and how it allows us to reach students who may not otherwise have the opportunity to learn about agriculture.”
How are these programs received by Indiana students? Hundreds of Thank You notes are regularly delivered to the ISA and ICMC offices after each session.
One from Landon, a fifth grader from New Castle, Ind., said, “I appreciate all of your hard work to make the virtual field trip fun and educational for everyone. I enjoyed learning, and the fun activity at the end of the field trip I learned that corn is an important plant or crop to a lot of farmers and people and thank you!”
Another young mind offered thanks, in part, to the efforts of the Indiana corn and soybean checkoffs.
