Special to the
Opelika Observer

Alabama farmers will keep their Virtual Field Trips moo-ving and buzzing with upcoming tours of an Autauga County beef cattle farm and Auburn University’s Bee Lab. The Virtual Field Trips are offered through Facebook Live on the Alabama Farmers Federation Facebook page every Friday at 10 a.m. through May 22.
On April 17, viewers will learn all about beef cattle as they explore Hickory Hill farm in Billingsley with farmers Taber and Grace Ellis.
“This one should be very fun for students because they’ll get to see big livestock up-close and not just far off in a field,” said Mary Wilson, Federation director of news services. “They even plan to show how they use their horses to go out and check on the cattle, so viewers will be seeing a real life cowboy!”
Honeybees will be the focus of April 24’s Virtual Field Trip as Geoff Williams provides a tour of Auburn University’s Bee Lab.
“We’ve found a lot of people – students and adults alike – have questions about honeybees, ranging from whether or not honey helps combat seasonal allergies to how to help protect honeybee colonies,” Wilson said. “This field trip will allow researchers at Auburn to tell us more about what they’re doing to help keep honeybee populations healthy and thriving.”
Viewers are encouraged to ask questions through the comment section, and each video will include links to educational activities centered around the featured commodity.
Scheduled topics for May, subject to change, are:
May 1 – Catfish
May 8 – Greenhouse and nursery products
May 15 – Forestry
May 22 – Cotton and other row crops
To receive Facebook notifications about the Virtual Field Trips, respond as “Interested” in the event or follow the Alabama Farmers Federation page.
Previous Virtual Farm Tours and educational resources may be viewed online at www.alfafarmers.org/virtual-field-trip. Row crop farmer Jonathan Sanders of Coffee County kicked off the program April 3, focusing on peanut production. The April 10 Virtual Farm Tour featured sisters Cassie Young and Allie Logan of Barbour County who discussed raising fruits and vegetables at their Backyard Orchards.
The Federation is Alabama’s largest farm organization with more than 340,000 member families. Find additional educational materials, including Ag Mags and free printable coloring book pages, online at www.alfafarmers.org/schools and click on resources.
This Virtual Field Trips project was developed in conjunction with Girl Scouts of Southern Alabama (GSSA). For additional virtual programs from GSSA, visit GirlScoutsSA.org.