Bursting with vibrant colors and fresh opportunities for interactive play, the new From
the Farm to a Healthy Me Exhibit at the Children’s Discovery Museum in Normal, Ill. invites visitors to explore agriculture from farm to finished products.

McLean County Farm Bureau celebrated the grand opening of the new exhibit along with community members, museum supporters and staff with a ribbon cutting April 9.

As the lead sponsor, MCFB  contributed a gift of $1 million to help grow the agricultural learning opportunities at the museum.

“Our donation to support the new ag exhibit represents one of the many ways we continue to invest in the future of agriculture,” says Darren Davis, grain farmer and McLean County Farm Bureau President. “We hope the new exhibit will grow understanding of modern farming and spark interest in agricultural careers.”

“We’ve more than doubled the footprint of the Museum’s former agriculture exhibit,” says
Museum Executive Director Beth Whisman. “We’re excited to welcome visitors to see the new space and to discover all the ways agriculture affects their daily lives.”

The new exhibit encompasses 5,786-square-feet on the museum’s second floor and quite literally showcases modern agriculture from floor to ceiling.

From the Farm to Healthy Me features:

• Colorful carpet that looks like an aerial view of farm fields
• A drone visitors can “fly” along a track on the ceiling
• Digital panels that display weather conditions that change in connection with a weather forecast station in the Ag Lab
• Ball drop maze representing the journey of grain from being harvested by the combine,
  transported by the grain truck to a grain elevator, and then to end users like livestock feed, export markets and processing into food and other products.
• Combine and tractor cabs to climb in and experience
• Dairy cows, pig barn and veterinary care station
• New toddler space featuring specialty crops including an oversized pumpkin, watering can slide, garden and honeycomb climber.
• Updated grocery store, bakery, pizza oven, and “Healthy Me” exhibit relocated from the first floor to better connect nutrition and health with agriculture

To learn more and plan a visit to the museum, click here.