Sebeka Secondary seventh grade STEM students discovered Agriculture Career Exploration Through STEM Learning during a Farm Camp Minnesota experience on May 8, 2026. Students visited Ten Finns Creamery near Menahga and R.D. Offutt Farms near Park Rapids to connect science, mathematics, and agriculture with the careers that help produce the food they enjoy every day.
Farm Camp Minnesota, a program of Minnesota Agriculture in the Classroom Foundation, gave students the opportunity to see where the milk they drink at school comes from while introducing them to the many careers involved in dairy and potato production.
Agriculture Career Exploration Through STEM Learning
Before the Farm Camp experience, students learned about agriculture, food systems, and food production in the classroom. Visiting both a dairy creamery and a large-scale potato operation allowed them to apply those STEM concepts while seeing how mathematics, engineering, technology, and science support agriculture every day.
At Ten Finns Creamery, students followed the journey of milk from the dairy barn to the bottle. At R.D. Offutt Farms, they explored potato production, storage, and the technology used to grow one of Minnesota's most important crops.
Students were surprised by how potatoes are planted, how long they can be stored, how many potatoes fit inside a storage building, and how good fresh bottled milk tastes. Favorite moments included meeting the cows, seeing the potato storage facility, watching milk being bottled, and enjoying milk and cookies together.
Students said they learned they could teach someone else:
- How milk is produced and delivered to their school
- How potatoes are grown
- How french fries are made
- The proper color of fries during cooking
Transportation Support Helped Make the Experience Possible
This Farm Camp experience was made possible in part by a Transportation Grant. The grant helped cover bus transportation costs thanks to investors with the Minnesota Agriculture in the Classroom Foundation, making hands-on agriculture learning experiences possible for students across Minnesota.
Growing Student Understanding
The Agriculture Career Exploration Through STEM Learning experience helped students better understand how agriculture connects to their own lives.
Before the tour, 52.4% of students said they could list three ways they use agriculture in their lives. After the experience, that number increased to 83.3%.
Students also gained a greater appreciation for agriculture's importance. Before Farm Camp, 71.5% agreed or strongly agreed that agriculture was important in their lives. Afterward, 100% of students agreed or strongly agreed.
Why Farm Camp Matters
Farm Camp Minnesota connects students to agriculture through pre-event classroom lessons, hands-on farm or agribusiness experiences, and post-visit reflection or career connections.
This Agriculture Career Exploration Through STEM Learning experience showed students that STEM skills are essential across Minnesota agriculture. From dairy processing and food manufacturing to crop production and precision agriculture, students discovered that classroom learning can lead to meaningful careers close to home.
To learn more about Farm Camp Minnesota or get connected with agriculture education opportunities, visit https://farmcampminnesota.org/connect-me/.