(Radio Iowa) – A fund drive is underway for a new building on the Iowa State Fairgrounds. Governor Kim Reynolds says the Agricultural Education Center won’t just be open during the State Fair.  “We’re hoping kids will come there all throughout the year and really talk about ag and what it means to this state and to our economy and to the world,” Reynolds says. “As more and more kids get removed from the farm, we’ve got to do a better job of telling our story and having that interaction.” The center will focus on crop development, Iowa soils, farm equipment and jobs in agriculture.

The state budget plan Reynolds signed this spring includes five MILLION dollars for the building — about a third of estimated construction costs. The Agricultural Education Center will be built next to the “Little Hands on the Farm” exhibit during the State Fair that guides children through a garden, grain bin, tractor shed, apple orchard and livestock barns.

Reynolds says that will create a “kids zone” on the fairgrounds that’s focused on telling the story of Iowa agriculture.