MERIDIAN, Idaho — You might be surprised to learn 40% of kids between the age of four and seven think bacon, hot dogs, and chicken nuggets came from plants.
That's according to a Furman University study from three years ago.
The study also found 47% of kids surveyed believed French fries came from an animal.
When you think of farming, a lot of times maybe you think of the classics, like potato farming, maybe wheat or corn too.
Well, that's the focus at the Meridian Ag Expo and it's also opening the minds of first graders and the community, by introducing them to other kinds of farming too.
"I saw sheep, a chicken, a hen, quails, and bees," said West Ada School District first grader, Maura.
"I learned about how animals help humans survive," said West Ada School District first grader, Lincoln.
First graders from the West Ada School District made their way to Meridian High School to learn.
Maura learned that there are sheep farmers and once a year they shave off their coat to produce wool.
While that was cool, she said bee farming sounded like a sweeter future job if she were to pick one.
"Because I could like, have the honey," said Maura.
Lincoln learned how crop farming works.
"You can grow plants and you can help other people survive and people can make plants so they can survive a lot longer," said Lincoln.
Soon, you might find him following in his family's footsteps.
"I already want to [be a farmer] because my grandpa is a farmer and I was in the tractor before," said Lincoln.
This is the mission for the Meridian Future Farmers of America (FFA) chapter. Zach Putzier, Meridian FFA Advisor said it is to teach kids what job opportunities are out there.
"That gap with the farmer from our younger generations is getting bigger and bigger each year, so if we can help bridge that gap," said Putzier.
He said it's also to teach kids where food comes from.
"One of the courses I teach is animal science, and some of those students as high schoolers, some of them don't know where their food comes from," said Putzier. "Some of them think that they go to the grocery store and their food just happens to be there, and it just magically appears so showing them from where it's being produced, to get to the grocery store, to get to their to get to their homes, is very important."
"A lot of the time we are growing up in an urban community, but as we see these fields around us, they don't really know what's going on, so this is a great opportunity to educate them on a level that they understand," said Meridian FFA chapter president, Katy Stewart.
Nearly 1600 first graders in the district will attend the expo throughout the week and it's something the FFA students do every year.
"I think great opportunity to show that it's more than just crops, because a lot of people just think the FFA is just, we like to say sows and plows, but it's a lot more than that," said Stewart. "It gives an opportunity to see how our leadership affects our farms as well, because from my perspective, it's not only just our crops, but it's also our animals. Our animals are another part of our main consumption, and it's another way that we impact the economy."
As for Lincoln, he hopes his classmates will take what they learned and remember it for a lifetime.
"I hope they learned a lot so they can be good and survive," said Lincoln.
It's not just for the kids, the Ag Expo Community Night is for everyone on Wednesday from 5-7pm.
It's at the Career Technical Center at Meridian High School.
It's free and FFA members will be there to answer questions.