Members of the Daviess County Farm Bureau were supposed to visit elementary schools to read books to students this week, but the COVID-19 pandemic put a damper on those plans. So, the bureau improvised.
“Since we couldn’t get to the schools, we thought we’d take it to them online,” said Joan Hayden, President of the Daviess County Farm Bureau. “It’s very different from us going to the schools and getting to sit down with the kids and read, but we still wanted to have that interaction with them.”
“Book with a farmer” has been broadcast on the bureau’s Facebook and YouTube pages. The series of videos show local farmers reading children’s books about agriculture.
Hayden read “A Day on the Farm” on her front porch Friday.
She said the readings were only scheduled this week as part of National Ag Week, but if people want it to continue then she’s certain members would gladly volunteer.
“Obviously we’re in a time where we need to be health-conscious and so doing it this way was, I think it was a good opportunity,” said local farmer John Kuegel. “I think when all this stuff is over, we’re going to learn some new ways to communicate with each other.”
Kuegel read “I Want to be a Dairy Farmer” on Wednesday. Kuegel said he was reluctant to do it at first because he wasn’t sure how the video would be received on social media.
“I didn’t dress up. I just went and sat on a bucket down in the barn with the calves,” Kuegel said. “I was just kind of simple, but it has gone over pretty well.”
The Owensboro Police Department has started doing the same thing on its Facebook page.
Public Information Officer Andrew Boggess said after seeing other groups reading online, officers thought it was a great idea.
“We felt it was a way to put something positive out for the kids, particularly while their normal routines have been disrupted,” he said. “It’s also a way for the D.A.R.E. officers, who the kids see regularly in the schools, to continue to have some contact.”
Boggess said OPD plans to continue to do more readings.
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