Kids, Kows & More Expo Introduces Agriculture to Urban West Texas Youth

ODESSA – Helping kids better understand agriculture is the goal of Texas Cooperative Extension’s Kids, Kows & More Expo. The event is scheduled for April 30-May 2 at the Ector County Coliseum Outback Arena in Odessa.

MaryJo Toomire, Extension agent for family and consumer sciences in Ector County, said the sixth annual event will draw fourth graders from Ector, Winkler, Crane and Andrews counties.

“We’re expecting more than 1,800 participants this year,” Toomire said. “That will be a record for us.”

The program is a fun, entertaining learning experience for the students and their teachers, she said. This year’s program will feature a mobile dairy classroom, and presentations on beef, pecans, sheep and goats, honey bees and water.

The sessions have been planned to teach children where their food comes from.

Volunteers are needed for the Expo, Toomire said.

“Seventy volunteers were needed to conduct last year’s program,” she said. “We’ll need even more volunteers this year, because we’ve added the two Winkler County schools.”

Planning the program is a year-around effort, Toomire said.

“We meet monthly to recruit schools, identify sponsors, train and recruit volunteers, and identify educational presenters,” she said. “The program involves 25 community partners who provide materials and financial support.

For more information call Toomire at 432-498-4071.

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