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More than 2,000 youngsters got a taste of life on the farm by visiting Ebbert's Farm Market during October.

Belmont County Farm Bureau had informational booths at the farm owned by Jerry and Lova Ebbert in St. Clairsville. Becky Keefer, the county Farm Bureau's promotion and education chairman, talked about 20 minutes to the students who ranged in grade from preschool to fourth grade about the different types of products that come from cows or pigs.

Betsy Anderson, organization director for Belmont, Guernsey, Monroe and Noble counties, said the farm visit was the first for many students. The farm hosted several classes during October.

"It's sometimes hard to convince the students that chicken nuggets don't come from cows or pigs. And there's always the question of whether chocolate milk comes from brown cows," she laughed.

Union Local FFA and the Belmont County Soil and Water Conservation District also helped out with the activities. During their visit, students learned about erosion, visited a petting zoo of sheep, ducks, chickens and twin lambs, picked pumpkins and tasted cider. They also got to sit on the Ebberts' tractors while they learned about safety.

"They really liked the animals. They liked getting on and off the equipment – it was like a magnet for all of them," Anderson said.