Over 40 public school- and high school-age youth participated in a program organized for them by the FarmSmart group in OMAFRA on Saturday Jan 24^th. The all-day program included sessions on cheese-making, animal care and plant DNA.

The Plant DNA session was organized by Lori Wright in the Crop Science building and gave participants a chance to isolate plant DNA from bean leaves using chemicals and tools that you can find in a home kitchen.

Peter Pauls gave a short introduction to DNA in plants and gave a tour of the growth facilities in the Crop Science building. All of the participants were actively engaged and enthusiastically posed for pictures of DNA isolation in action for a reporter from the Ontario Farmer.