b"FEATURE| h e a l t hSUPPORT THE FUTURE OF AGAT THE YOUTH FAIRITS OFFICIALLY FAIR SEASON here in Central Florida, and Polk Countys youthswe like to call them the future of agare about to kick into high gear at the Polk County Youth Fair later this month. While the students have been prepping for months, now its your turn to step up. When you show up for these kids, youre doing a lot more than just buying a hog or applauding a steer in the ring. Far more than that, youre investing in the future of agriculture and the character of the next generation. Beautiful BenefitsMORE THAN JUST A LIVESTOCK SHOWWalk through the barns during the fair and look closely at whats happening. Youll see kids and teens up before dawn, washing a heifer in the cold morning air. Youll see a middle schooler frantically dou-ble-checking their record book to make sure every feed receipt is ac-counted for. While these kids love these activities, they arent hobbies.Therapeutic Horticulture Program They're intense, year-long projects that teach responsibility, financial literacy, and grit. Helps Students Reduce Stress, When you attend the fair, you witness the culmination of hundreds of hours of labor. Maybe youre there to bid on a market hog at theIncrease Academic Resilienceauction. That money often goes directly into a college fund or helps purchase next years project animal.by MEREDITH BAUER, UF/IFASBut even if you aren't bidding, your presence matters. Stopping byC CAN BE FULL OF STRESSORS. Deadlines, pressure to ace exams, a student's pen to ask about their animals breeding or feed programCOLLEGE gives them a chance to practice public speaking and demonstrate theirchanging social groups and the looming fears of securing a job after graduation all knowledge. Youll be amazed at the detailed answers you get from a twelve-year-old about rate of gain or genetic traits. lead students to feel exhausted, frazzled and anxious.HOW YOU CAN MAKE AN IMPACT What if part of the solution for taking the edge off is as simple as soil, sunlight, and Support doesn't always look like a checkbook. It looks like a packedwater?grandstand during the showmanship competition. It looks like walkingA recent study from University of Florida researchers found that the therapeutic through the exhibits in the Stuart Building to admire the horticulturehorticulture program not only helped reduce students overall stressit also increased projects, sewing entries, and baked goods. These students pourtheir academic resilience, which could lead to better performance in class.just as much heart into growing the perfect strawberryThe study, published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology, examined groups of plant or baking a blue-ribbon pie as others do raisingUniversity of Florida students over three semesters to evaluate their stress before and cattle. after doing therapeutic horticulture activities, such as caring for potted plants and Take the time to shake a hand and say gooddoing paired mindfulness activities.job. You can also support the businesses that spon- We want to help students recognize the relationship between nature and their sor the events and participants. When you supportpersonal wellness, says Leah Diehl, program director and UF Institute of Food and those local businesses, you help keep the eco- Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) faculty. We hope theyll use these strategies for their system of support alive for next year. entire lifein their careers and family livesnot just while they're a student in the ThePolkCountyYouthFairisauniversity.showcase of our communitys best as- Students paired a horticulture activitysuch as propagating plant cuttingswith sets: our kids. Theyve done the heavy lifting. Now they need you to show up,a wellness strategy such as gratitude or mindfulness, with the goal of reducing stress cheerloud,andletthemknowtheirand anxiety. hard work is both seen and valued. SeeMost of the students who participated in this program at UF found that after the you at the fairgrounds! by BAXTER TROUTMAN program was finished, they felt they had more academic resilience, perseverance, help-seeking skills, fewer negative emotions and less overall perceived stress.This column is sponsored by Labor Solutions, and the opinions expressed herein may notThesemester-longprogramhasrunforseveralyears,withdifferentstudents reflect those of CFAN or of its advertisers.participating each semester, and Diehl says students were able to be creative while BIO: Baxter Troutman is founder and chief executive officer of Labor Solutions, a staffing companyconnecting with nature. In some sessions, they crafted foliage bouquets and talked with offices in Bartow, Winter Haven, Lake Wales, Arcadia, and Plant City. You also can visit his Darkaboutthepeopletheyregratefulforandwouldliketogivethebouquetto.In Hammock Legacy Ranch online at www.DH-LR.com. A cattle rancher and citrus grower who served in the Florida House of Representatives, Troutman understands the challenges and concerns of todaysCONTINUED ON PAGE 22farmer.14 | CFAN FloridaAgNews.com"