Did you know that Halloween is related to agriculture? It is!! Let's look at two different things that are associated with Halloween and see where they come from.

Pumpkins! - Pumpkins are a crop. They are grown out in fields. Some pumpkins when harvested are sent to factories to make different pumpkin products like pie filling, cookies, soups, and more. Other pumpkins are sold to become decorations or Jack-o-lanterns.

Here are some fun facts about pumpkins:

1) Illinois produces more pumpkins than any other state.

2) Pumpkins range in size from less than a pound to over 1,000 pounds.

3) Pumpkins are fruit!

For more information on pumpkins visit http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/pumpkins/.

Candy! - Before you eat all that candy you get tonight think about what is in it. Look at the label and see if you can identify any agriculture products. Most likely it will contain something like corn syrup, sugar (made from sugarcane), soy lecithin. Some of these products originated in the field!

Happy Halloween!

Have you ever wondered how that milk is made into string cheese or milk chocolate? How many of you have wondered how we get honey? Check out the new show on Food Network entitled "How'd that get on my plate?". This show follows food products from the farm to your plate. Visit the website at http://www.foodnetwork.com/howd-that-get-on-my-plate/index.html to view some of the different processes like string cheese, milk chocolate, honey and freeze dried strawberries.

Have you ever wondered where the corn and soybean go after they are taken out of the field (harvested)? Let's follow it from seed to shelf.

1) The corn kernels and soybean seeds are planted in the spring. Sunlight and moisture are needed to help that seed to grow into a full grown plant. The plant grows all summer long until fall and the seeds on the new plant are just the right moisture.

2) The farmer comes through the field with a combine to harvest the plant. The combine separates the seeds or kernels on the new plant from the leaves and stem. The seeds collect in the combine and the rest of the plant is chopped up and spit out of the back of the combine.

3) When the combine gets full the seeds or kernels are loaded onto a truck or into a wagon and are taken to a grain elevator. Sometimes they are stored on the farm to be taken to the grain elevator later or to be fed to animals. At the grain elevator the farmer gets money in exchange for the corn kernels or soybean seeds.

4) The kernels or seeds eventually leave the grain elevator by truck, train or sometimes barge. They are taken to a manufacturing plant where the kernels or seeds are processed into foods and other items that we use every day. Look at the food label to see if you can identify a corn or soybean product.

5) Next the product that was made from those seeds gets put on a truck and delivered to a store near you where it is put on the shelves for you to buy!