Story by Michelle Hawks, Contributing writer

The 13th annual Fall on the Farm will be held Oct. 1 at Stanley Pullen Farm.

The event is hosted by the Agricultural Leadership Council and the students of the Hutson School of Agriculture to promote agricultural literacy in a fun environment.

“It’s a big reward for the ag program in general,” said Paige Chamerlik, senior from Antioch, Illinois. “The more people know and the more they understand where their food comes from the better.”

Chamerlik said each group within the Agriculture Department is in charge of a booth and creating a broad range of activities which include milking cows, riding bouncy horses and a corn maze. On Saturday, there will also be three Animal Tales shows.

She said the event is open by reservation Wednesday through Friday for local elementary schools, home-school groups and other children’s groups. On Saturday, it will be open to the public from 10 a.m to 4 p.m.

Tony Brannon, dean of the Hutson School of Agriculture, said that it is intended to be a fun-filled educational event for the whole family.  

He said that since the event was founded 13 years ago, it has only gotten bigger and better each year. On average more than 400 children visit each day, and on Saturdays, more than 1,000 people take part in the festivities.

Holly Doom, freshman from Paducah, Kentucky, said that she was looking forward to working with the children.

“I love seeing how happy they are. It makes me happy for them to be learning about agriculture, even if they may not know that is what they are doing,” Doom said.

Brannon said he hopes that students will use Pullen Farm to promote agricultural literacy in Murray, with a focus on children.

“This is an important event for families in our community,” Brannon said. “Typically children look forward to it, and families return year after year. There are probably more grandparents at this event than at any other university event.”

Fall on the Farm is also used as a fundraiser for the Hutson School of Agriculture. Brannon said the proceeds are divided among the different student groups through a student development fund process.

Admission will be $5, and there will be pumpkins, concessions and T-shirts for sale.