A group of first-graders at Cape St. Claire Elementary got a special visitor on Monday when the secretary of the Maryland Department of Agriculture dropped by to read to them.

Secretary of Agriculture Buddy Hance read books about farming and spoke to students on the the importance of agriculture to Maryland this week as part of Read Across Maryland month and Ag Literacy Week.

This year also marks the third annual Ag Literacy Campaign, launched by the Maryland Agriculture Education Foundation, which visits elementary school classrooms across the state, reads a selected book and talks to students about the importance of agriculture in their lives.