Oregon Ag Fest 2025 — touch, taste & experience the world of agriculture

Dr. Craig Anderson, retired livestock nutritionist, invited me to bring my family to the Ag Fest event to touch, view, and experience the incredible world of Oregon agriculture in a festive/informative environment. Anderson has been a volunteer on the Ag Fest board since 1994. Ag Fest is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit volunteer organization dedicated to educating the public about the importance of agriculture. Ninety-eight percent of the US population lives in an urban world and this event strives to expose youth to Oregon agriculture in a family friendly way. “If we don't tell our story, who will?” Ag Fest provides an opportunity to reconnect people to their roots. Income from tickets and corporate sponsorships provide the funding source. Twenty thousand + people attend the event held annually at the Oregon State Fairgrounds in Salem. Youth under 15 are admitted free.

Upon entering the fairgrounds a long line of people were waiting in line for a horse drawn wagon ride around the grounds. Large tractors and combine exhibits greeted patrons. Antique 'Johnny Popper', one cylinder engines, were showcased in operation outside which intrigued the kids.

There were 25 hands-on activities for youth to interact. My grandsons enjoyed petting all of the animals.

A 4-H student allowed kids to enter a pen to pet a gilt pig. The kids were surprised how coarse the pig's hair felt. Sheep and goats were petted and viewed up close. A llama show was underway and we watched as a llama carrying a pack went through an obstacle course. Later, we were able to get up close to a haltered llama. Our grand kids were excited, to get up close and handle a wide variety of the animals on display. Over 50 animal species were on hand for kids to observe and handle.

There was a fire truck display tailored to the youth in the barn. Kids could climb into the seats of the fire truck and ATV'and were fascinated by all the buttons, knobs, and equipment, Firefighters were on hand to interact with attendees and were well received. Speaking of fire, Smokey Bear made the scene too, providing safety tips, literature and as well as photo opts.

Another highlight of AG Fest was the sheep shearing demonstration performed every 30 minutes in the Forster Livestock Pavilion. A Jefferson High School FFA teacher sheared the ewes while a FFA student enlightened the crowd with know how details of shearing. The Jackman Long building had 75 booths, plant sale, and mini-petal tractor races for youth. The entertainment stage featured a local country singer.

Columbia Hall had additional hands-on demonstrations including planting seedlings, watching chickens hatch, and sampling experiences in a pioneer wagon. We visited the hazelnut booth where our grand kids used stationary nut crackers. It was their first time experience eating our state nut and Oregon's leading export. A giant blow up crab greeted visitors with information about Oregon Dungeness crab.

Working dog trials were also popular events to view. We watched a border collie herd goats and another dog herded 5 geese around the pen. Of course, the ice cream booth was nearby and the grand kids wanted a Tillamook ice cream cone. Tammy Dennee, Executive Director of the Oregon Cattlemen's Assn. was a Ag Fest volunteer who served us the cone. Ag Fest listed 90 sponsors that help provide funding for the annual event. It also takes numerous volunteers,such as Anderson and Dennee to put it on. What a wonderful (and exhaustive) day of sights, activities and fun!