The Chicago Museum of Science and Industry's exhibit, The Farm, is a must-see attraction. The exhibit features a positive portrayal of farming, providing everything from the farm but the dirt.

I took a break from the farm and went to the city to learn more about the farm.

On a long weekend visiting friends in my city of origin, I learned a little more about farming. I visited The Farm exhibit at Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry. It is a fair, accurate, interesting and educational exhibit about farming in the Midwest.

Visit The Farm purely as an ego trip or to put agriculture in perspective for your children. It is especially a must-see for those interested in agricultural education and those who are looking for a short getaway.

I decided to visit the museum because I wanted to see an urban take on agriculture, and I wanted to see an educator's synopsis of farming. The fourth of five children born to two ex-Chicago educators turned farmers, I often found myself trying to explain agriculture to my curious-- but clueless--classmates in the city.

I spent fifth grade, sixth grade and before the age of five living in the heart of Chicago. The balance of the time--including summers--I spent on Mom and Dad's Missouri farm.

My urban classmates were not "country." I learned that the hard way when I wore my cowboy hat to school. Not cool. I didn't get it back for months. I was thinking about these good ol' days, fully expecting to run into my grade school classmates with their children, when I realized my two year old was hanging from the ear of the fiberglass cow in the dairy exhibit. I think it was carbohydrates mixed with the lack of a nap that fueled the leap.

My son fit in well with the other children--they were all exploring every inch of the exhibit and talking to everyone. To those who grew up on a farm and tend to feel a little defensive around those city folk, a trip to this exhibit can be nothing short of an ego trip. Just wear your John Deere hat and look as though you are at home standing next to the 9750 STS. You will be hit with a barrage of questions from curious city kids with their parents in tow.

The exhibit, as well as its website (www.msichicago.org/exhibit/thefarm.asp), not only validates the science and importance of farming but illustrates the difficulties, challenges and diversity that farmers face each day. The exhibit is an update of an outdated exhibit that closed down for a few years. Exhibit shelf life is only 10 years on average.

The museum enlisted the help of a few heavy hitters to help explain the nuts and bolts of agriculture as well as fund the exhibit. The donors include: Archer Daniels Midland Company; Norvartis US Foundation; Illinois Farm Bureau; Kellogg's Corporate Citizenship Fund; Mild PEPO/Dairy Management, Inc.; Country Companies; Deere & Company; Illinois Corn Marketing Board; Illinois Soybean Association; IMC Global, Inc.; Growmark, Inc.; Illinois Pork Producers and Wesfalia-Surge, Inc.

"The exhibit faces today's big issues in farming--from biotech seed to animal science," said Tim Christakos, exhibit specialist. "It is really a good first step for urban people to learn where food really comes from--the farm--not the Jewel [a big Chicago grocery store]." Christakos is in charge of everything living in the exhibit, from baby chicks to biotech corn in the greenhouse. He is a self-proclaimed outdoors nut and routinely has to defend biotech seed and raising animals in the exhibit.

"The museum had a few complaints about raising chicks for the exhibit, but the museum stuck to its guns," he said. Christokos has worked for the museum for 14 years and is challenged by his job. His most recent challenge was to help grow the rare Black Java and White Java birds using museum incubators. Successfully crossing the two could bring back the now extinct Blue Java--another feather in the cap of the museum.

Necessarily, the exhibit caters to today's MTV child and day-trading-adult attention spans. It has a virtual reality ride in a John Deere combine harvesting corn. It lasts about three minutes per group. There are several interactive kiosks with videos that all run under five minutes in length.

The museum staff of experts is used to approaching things a little differently than other museums--everything is designed for touch and interaction. The walk-through exhibits surround you. Spongy floors simulate dirt and give when you walk on them. There are even simulated mud puddles. This frustrated the under-5 group of children, especially my son.

The exhibit also includes a greenhouse, a tractor, tool shed, cornfield, dairy barn, fiberglass sow with litter, design-your-own cereal section and periodic handouts. Other museum attractions range from a ride through a coal mine to the OmniMax theater.

A few tips on attending: Choose midweek days to avoid the crowds. Don't interrupt your child's naptime. Bring your own dirt.