GLOVERSVILLE, N.Y. (NEWS10) — The New York State Department of Agriculture celebrated Literacy Week at a local elementary school Wednesday. Third grade students at Boulevard Elementary in Gloversville listened to a special reading.

Agriculture Literacy Week is a statewide effort to educate students about health foods, the importance of farming, and how it is involved in their every day lives.

“This has been a great effort by Agriculture and the classroom throughout New York state to help take advantage of this week — connect children with the idea of food and where it comes from and the importance of agriculture,” NYS Dept. of Agriculture and Markets Commissioner Richard Ball said.

New York state has one of the longest running Agriculture Literacy Week programs in the country with more than 800,000 students statewide participating this year.