Leigh Hosts First-Ever "Ag Literacy Night"
In the heart of their hometown, Leigh elementary students learned about different aspects of agriculture at Ag Literacy Night on November 21, 2025.
Ag Literacy night was the first night of its kind and was hosted in the Leigh High School gym, parking lot, and elementary gym. Many local businesses and big-name companies were in attendance, setting up educational booths about different aspects of agriculture.
Ms. Sarah Pillen started the evening by giving a speech on her family’s swine operation and all of the opportunities that students have in agriculture. The night consisted of many hands-on activities with a petting zoo, touch-a-truck, and businesses that had different activities. Channel and the Nebraska Farm Bureau Foundation donated money to make the event possible.
Varying in production and business type, many local businesses and organizations were in attendance, such as 402 Tallow Co, Schwartz Farms, Folken Feed Yards, Holsteins Unlimited, C & L Acres, Urban Feedlot, Farm Credit, Sobota Seeds, Jordan Wilke, Josh Gall, Mitchell Equipment, Clay Hills Ag, Cornhusker Public Power District, Larson Dairy, Jindra Angus, Classen Mercantile, Beller Trucking, Wietfeld Trucking, Colfax County Extension Office, Nebraska Farm Bureau Foundation, Leigh FFA, and Leigh FFA Alumni. These businesses all showed students how agriculture relates to their community.
Leigh FFA members also helped with a tattoo station and petting zoo that consisted of lambs, a bottle goat, puppies, a ferret, and a kangaroo. In the elementary gym, a pancake and sausage meal was served by the Pancake Man.
Fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Ann Sobota, coordinated the event along with help from the FFA. She said, “This event turned out to be a great success to support our students in ag literacy. We would not have been able to do this without the support from local businesses and community members.”