Discovering Agriculture in Kansas City
Celebrate National Agriculture Day on March 19 with a visit to a local farm.
National Agricultural Hall of Fame
913.721.1075
The Agricultural Hall of Fame is home to a small "farm community" where visitors can explore a black smith shop, general store, farmhouse, train (operated seasonally; call ahead for train hours) and museum with hands-on exhibits. The museums includes exhibits on Kansas' early pioneers in agriculture, farm tools, bee keeping—and the Poultry Museum. The Ag Hall of Fame is most fun during special events and programs throughout the year.
816.930.3862
Shatto Milk Company is a working dairy farm and milk bottling company offering tours to groups of any size. One thing that sets Shatto apart is that their cows are not treated with growth hormones. Of course, kids love another Shatto trademark—the unique flavors of delicious milk. From start to finish, you’ll witness where milk comes from on a Shatto tour. Children delight in petting calves, milking cows and meeting the famously happy herd. Watch through a window as milk is processed and bottled, and end your tour sampling delightful flavors! Call to schedule a tour.
816.386.2156
Green Dirt Farm is a working sheep farm on the bluffs of the Missouri River Valley. Green Dirt Farm offers an educational tour unlike any other. Guests learn why grass is the best food for the 150 ewes on the farm, how important healthy soil is to the environment and what makes the cheese so good. Visitors also learn about pasture rotation while watching the dairy sheep graze on the hills. The highlights of the tour though, are the final steps: watching as the sheep are milked, the cheese is made in the kitchen and then tasting samples! Call to schedule a tour.
Powell Garden: Heartland Harvest Garden
816.697.2600
Powell Gardens is open daily (except major holidays) with admission ranging from $4 to $9.50/ea. See late spring blooms and early cool season crops in the Heartland Harvest Garden. Set on 12 acres, the Heartland Harvest Garden is the largest edible landscape in the United States. After a visit, children better understand where their food comes from. Children also love sampling foods at the tasting stations, which are open during growing season (weekends in April and daily beginning in May).