Stella Strupp, a fourth-grade student from Allenton, is the state winner of the Ag in the Classroom Essay Contest. Wisconsin fourth and fifth graders were asked to write a 100-to-300-word essay with the theme, “Making it happen at the farmers’ market.”
Stella is the daughter of Brian and Jessica Strupp. Becky Schuett is her teacher at Allenton Elementary School in Washington County.
Each year the Wisconsin Farm Bureau’s Ag in the Classroom program hosts an essay contest revolving around food and agriculture. This contest is open to all fourth and fifth grade students across the state.
A total of 1,899 students wrote essays for the competition, which is sponsored by the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Foundation and We Energies.
The finalist from each of Wisconsin Farm Bureau’s nine districts across the state received a certificate, educational resources for their teacher and presentation about Wisconsin agriculture for their class. This year’s finalists were:
- District 1 – Stella Strupp, Allenton Elementary in Allenton
- District 2 – Phoebe Butteris, Saint Luke’s School in Plain
- District 3 – Lilly Houtakker, Mineral Point Elementary School in Mineral Point
- District 4 – Sacia Boland, Holy Family Catholic School in Arcadia
- District 5 – Annabelle Seel, St. Mary’s Springs Academy in Fond du Lac
- District 6 – Sabrina Phalen, Random Lake Elementary in Random Lake
- District 7 – Abigale Johnson, St. Anthony School in Oconto Falls
- District 8 – Evyn Schmitz, Jefferson Elementary in Merrill
- District 9 – Brenna Ewert, Winter Elementary in Winter
Stella’s Winning Essay:
Feast at the Farmers’ Market
By Stella Strupp
Saturdays from late spring to late fall are best spent at your local Farmers’ market. If you get up early, you can get yourself fresh baked goods, a cup of coffee, hot cocoa, or apple cider. The vendors get up even earlier to make sure their booth is set up and ready for their first customer.
At booth one, I saw a local dairy farmer. He was selling cheese curds that squeaked on your teeth, milk, and fresh vanilla ice cream. He told me he is an organic farmer. He feeds his dairy cattle only organic feed like grain, grass and haylage.
At booth two I saw a fruit farmer. She was selling strawberries, cherries, watermelon, and blackberries. The fruit was being sold in a little basket. The basket was woven out of strips of wood, and then finished with a bow.
We walked to the next booth. Booth three was a wagon. He was a vegetable farmer. He called the vegetables “produce”. He grew corn, squash, beans, and my favorite one of all PICKLES! He had five different types of pickles. They were dill, bread and butter, hot and spicy, deli style, and garlic dill. I tried all except the Hot and Spicy and the Garlic Dill.
The fourth and final booth was a butcher. He sold steak, pork, and my favorite of all meats, chicken. They had free samples of breakfast sausage. I took two of them, and they were delicious.
I left the Farmers’ Market with a full stomach, and a better understanding of all of the products that farmers made with all their hard work. I will definitely come back to this Farmers’ Market.
Leave a Reply