Hands-on learning opportunities abound through Iowa’s agricultural and factory tours, perfect for school trips and educational excursions.
By Kaci Lollar
Factory and agriculture tours provide a wide array of educational benefits, including hands-on learning experiences and opportunities to apply knowledge learned in the classroom to real-world scenarios. With more non-privatized manufacturing businesses than any state nationwide, Iowa is an ideal destination for factory and agriculture tours. Part One of our Educational Adventures in Iowa itinerary series offers a plethora of prospective school group activities in Iowa.
AGRICULTURE TOURS IN IOWA
John Deere Museum – A Premier Destination for Student Group Activities in Iowa
Located in Waterloo, the John Deere Museum proudly displays an immense collection of machines and agricultural artifacts. Through a series of interactive exhibits, the museum fosters an understanding of the company’s history and the role of mechanization in farming. From steel plows to modern tractors, a variety of agricultural implements are showcased in the John Deere Museum.
Each John Deere attraction site is open to the public free of charge. Convenient hours and easy ready availability regardless of reservation status make the John Deere Museum perfect for large groups.
Maasdam Barns – Dive into Iowa Agricultural Education at the Evergreen Ridge Stock Farm
History, agriculture and innovation combine in Fairfield, Iowa, where idyllic stallion barns, extensive exhibits and intriguing artifacts abound. Students visiting Maasdam Barns can view draft horse demonstrations, marvel at a depiction of the world’s largest horse, and interact firsthand with the machines that make industrial agriculture possible. While tracing the early history of the horse breeding business and discovering the importance of the monorail hay carrier in manufacturing, visitors can thoroughly comprehend the entrepreneurial aspects of farming.
Operating from early spring to late fall, the Maasdam Barns is open to tours by appointment only.
National Farm Toy Museum – A Prime Example of Iowa Learning Experiences for Children
The National Farm Toy Museum, located in Dyersville, Iowa, features two floors of displays that chronicle agricultural history through a unique medium: model toys. Thousands of pedal tractors, interactive dioramas, elaborately crafted miniatures, and handmade collectible items are sure to captivate students’ attention while detailing the legacy of agriculture and the machines that help crops thrive.
Student groups can visit the “Farm Toy Capital of the World” for an affordable price. Tickets for children ages six through 17 cost as low as five dollars. Discounted group rates enable large parties to take full advantage of the museum’s educational opportunities!
Hansen’s Dairy Farm – A-Moo-Zing Iowa Educational Trips (Forgive the Cheesy Pun)
A Silos & Smokestacks National Heritage Site, Hansen’s Dairy Farm is a fully functional farm located between Waterloo and Cedar Falls. Experiences encouraging hands-on learning, such as milking and feeding cows, churning butter and sampling ice cream products, grant students invaluable insight into animal care, dairy farming and goods processing.
Hansen’s Dairy offers four tour options, each with varying admission prices and experiences. The Hands-On Tour includes a two-hour trolley ride around the farm, a walking tour of the facilities and all associated activities. It may prove the most engaging for student groups.
A farm first and a tourist locale second, Hansen’s Dairy respectfully prohibits walk-ins, requiring visitors to make reservations.
Rusty Stars Alpaca – Fascinating Farm Tours for School Groups
The animal-petting fun doesn’t have to stop at Hansen’s Dairy! A twenty-acre farm with more than thirty alpacas, Rusty Stars Alpaca in Winterset, Iowa, is a charming destination for student day trips. Though alpaca farming is a sustainable alternative to other livestock animals, alpacas are commonly underrepresented in agriculture, invariably overshadowed by cattle and sheep. Rusty Stars Alpaca presents an engrossing examination of diversified farming and textile production. Students are invited to interact closely with alpacas, and they can often pet, feed and even walk the animals.
Admission to Rusty Stars Alpaca is free, but donations are encouraged and much appreciated.
John Deere Factory Tour; Credit John Deere
IOWA FACTORIES WITH EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS
Deere Davenport Works Factory Tour – Educational Tours in Iowa
Iowa’s Quad Cities is home to a manufacturing center responsible for generating a massive output of 4WD loaders, motor graders, dump trucks, bunchers, and more. Deere Davenport Works Factory Tours can expose students to John Deere’s assembly process, offering a practical, first-hand look at constructing one of the nation’s most storied agricultural and industrial machines. Students are welcome to look on as steel cuts are transformed into high-quality machines.
John Deere’s exciting and educational attractions are open to the public for free. Students must be at least 13 years old to participate, and guided tours require confirmation via email up to 72 hours in advance.
Council Oak Supply Tour – Witness Coffee Bean Production in Sioux City
A list of interactive educational tours in Iowa would be incomplete without Sioux City’s Council Oak Supply Tour. Accompanied by a lesson on how coffee beans are made, Council Oak’s factory tours walk students through the construction of lids, pots and machines, as well as the roasting process. Students can sit in Council Oak’s Coffee Parlor and watch coffee beans transform from green, unroasted pellets to rich, dark, packaged grounds. As students monitor the heat and color of the beans, they are permitted to sample a variety of espressos and lattes.
Council Oak roasts coffee three days a week. Their convenient hours make the production of commercial espresso equipment, cafe supplies and barista accessories accessible to students and educators.
Pella Corporation – Commercial Factory Tours for Students
Situated in Pella, Iowa, the eponymous Pella Corporation prides itself on its energy-efficient, element-resistant windows and doors, fashioned for both domestic and commercial applications. Pella produces more than durable screenings; it also opens the door to countless educational opportunities, and its factory tours guide students through the manufacturing process. Students will leave their Pella tour with sufficient knowledge regarding the technological operations that enable continuous innovations in commercial production.
The Pella Corporation can be toured as a standalone locale or as part of an extensive area exploration. In addition to its business and manufacturing sector, it offers numerous specialty attractions.
Iowa field trips for students are not limited to agricultural and factory tours. Part Two of our Educational Adventures in Iowa itinerary series will explore traditional museums and attractions that will complement practical school group activities in Iowa!
