On a lovely sunny day in mid-August, Hancock Agricultural Research Station hosted a group of 20+ visitors from Diverse Options, a Ripon-based non-profit organization that serves the vocational and independent living needs of people with disabilities.

The visit started with a “seek and find” activity to locate items in the display garden, where individuals could move at their own pace or stick with the main group, as desired. That was followed by a wagon tour to learn about the station, the research and the general work that takes place at HARS.

“The group had a wonderful time – and they had lots of questions. At one of the tour stops, we checked out a corn crop, and everybody was encouraged to pick and eat some fresh sweet corn. That may have been the highlight,” says station gardener Deb Willis, who organized and helped lead the visit. “And the leaders appreciated the ease with which we were able to accommodate special and basic needs such as wheelchairs, hydration and bathroom breaks.”

Over the past few years, Hancock station has been hosting more visits from local, non-ag community groups, helping new audiences understand agriculture. For instance, multiple groups of seniors – including from area assisted living facilities – have come to the station for tours and ice cream.

Word of mouth, in fact, led to this summer’s Diverse Options visit.

“Two siblings who participated in a day camp for the Boys and Girls Club of Ripon shared their positive experience with their mother, who coordinates activities for Diverse Options,” says Deb Willis, “She called us to see if we could host them as well.”

The station has also been working with local schools – for many years now – on an annual activity for third graders, where the students plant pumpkin seedlings in the spring – and then come back in the fall to gather their own pumpkins. It also holds an annual “Rural Safety Day” training for 150+ children.

All of the station staff pitch in to support these events, including Paul Sytsma, station farm manager, who often serves as wagon tour guide; Emily Reisch Earll, office manager, who helps with logistics; and Troy Fishler, station superintendent, who is always willing to give a short presentation.

“Hosting these groups is a way to show that we care about our children, our elders, our community,” says Willis. “We celebrate the abundance we experience – and we share it.”

It helps station staff feel more connected to the community – and as a team.

“Deb has been instrumental in helping us get more traction at HARS with these ‘passion project’ outreach events,” says Troy Fishler, station superintendent. “It’s so wonderful to have staff here who are vested in doing what they can to help our community members, while educating them about our mission and the important leading-edge research that gets carried out at our station.”