Richland County Bread Fair

Published: 2022
By Marley Manoukian, Carrie Krug and Josie Evenson

Richland County MSU Extension partnered with North Dakota State University Extension to provide the Bread Fair to fifth-grade classrooms in Richland County and the surrounding area. Students learned about the bread-making process and made their own loaf of bread to take home and share with their families. Agents Josie Evenson, Carrie Krug, and Marley Manoukian visited eight fifth-grade classrooms and discussed the process of making bread. Fifth graders learned about the ingredients in a loaf of bread, where they come from, and how they are produced, and finally, they learned what each ingredient does in the bread-making process. Many ingredients came from agricultural commodities produced in Richland County and the surrounding area. This provided the students with an opportunity to learn about local agriculture and how the crops grown in their backyards are made into products they might enjoy in the food they eat daily. While the 131 students were learning about the bread-making process, they made their own loaf of bread. The students also learned about the nutrients provided by bread and how those nutrients are important for a fifth grader. When asked, a majority of the students said they plan to make bread again and provided comments about the Bread Fair, including: “I loved it,” “It was the funnest thing ever,” and, “This was awesome.”