<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=2r2rEz_0wJoAWqg00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2r2rEz_0wJoAWqg00" width="1280" height="720" ><figcaption>Teachers attend an Ag In the Classroom training at an Idaho dairy. Rick Waitley</figcaption></figure>American agriculture has been the foundation and backbone of our country from the beginning. Agriculture and education were interrelated, since most people lived on farms or in small towns; many kids did farm chores before and after school.Often the school year revolved around planting and harvesting. School textbooks were full of agricultural references and examples. Farming and livestock were a familiar part of nearly every child’s life.By 1920 the farm population began to shrink. Agricultural emphasis decreased in educational materials. It was considered an occupational specialty, rather than an integral part of life. Ag education was only offered to students seeking a career of agriculture.In recent years, ag production has been taken for granted by most Americans and has also received negative press. The average person has misconceptions about food production. We have several generations of people with very little connection with agriculture; very few have family or relatives on a farm or ranch.During the 1960s and ‘70s, a small group of educators and others saw the need for more agriculture in education. They recognized the interactive role of farming, food, and fiber production with environmental quality topics like maintaining clean water and preserving and improving forests and wildlife habitat; we need agriculture and ag stewardship to have a healthy environment. These folks kept education in agriculture alive during a period when interest by the public was decreasing.This small nucleus of individuals kept pushing for quality materials; many films, books, and classroom aids were financed and produced by businesses, foundations, nonprofit groups, and associations, as well as state and federal agencies. But there was very little coordination of effort or exchange of ideas among these groups and no central point for national coordination.<h2>Ag literacy sought</h2>In 1981 the USDA invited representatives of ag groups and educators to a meeting in Washington, D.C. to discuss agricultural literacy. A national task force was selected from this group, with representation from agriculture, business, education, and governmental agencies, some of whom were already conducting educational programs.The task force recommended USDA as coordinator for national agricultural classroom literacy and that it sponsor regional meetings to help states organize their own programs. They urged the department to encourage the support of other national groups, and partnerships of agriculture, business, education, government and volunteers.Each state organization addresses agriculture education in a way best suited to its own needs. In some cases, an all-volunteer network is responsible for teacher education and materials distribution. States have formed educational nonprofit organizations, with the benefit of a tax-deductible status. In some states leadership is provided through departments of education, agriculture or other government agencies. In other states it’s through ag organizations or commodity groups or through universities or colleges, and in some cases through dedicated efforts of one or two individuals.Some state organizations employ people full and/or part-time to support Agriculture in the Classroom (AITC). A few states have reassigned government agency personnel to lead AITC efforts. There is no one best method to administer AITC; the combined efforts of volunteers and professional staff are vital ingredients for success.National AITC supports state programs by providing a network seeking to improve agricultural literacy — awareness, knowledge, and appreciation — among PreK-12 teachers and their students. Agricultural-based content is the context to teach core curriculum concepts in science, social studies, language arts and nutrition. Encouraging teachers to include agriculture in their classroom cultivates understanding and appreciation of the food and fiber system that we all rely on.Once termed “farmer in the classroom” with coloring books and fact sheets, today’s network of state programs has now become a key player in providing quality classroom resources and delivery of teacher professional development. In most states, key resources align with state academic standards; these programs have become a great tool in helping teachers become more comfortable with the subject of agriculture.There is an AITC presence in every state and territory. Representatives from Canada have attended USDA-sponsored AITC national conferences and have now hosted two national conferences in Canada Requests for information about AITC come from many countries around the world and other organizations wanting to learn how to deliver their programs with equal success.Great strides have been made since 1981. Many teachers today want to become more knowledgeable, to “know the farmer” and promote healthy eating, and better understand global sustainability and environmental stewardship. AITC programs help them become more comfortable including agriculture in their classroom.<h2>Idaho</h2>Funding for Idaho AITC is obtained through membership dues and tax-deductible contributions. Annual membership fees are available for organizations and individuals. Idaho AITC also operates with grants, contracts, memorials, and in-kind gifts for special projects and activities—and sale of specialty license plates.Idaho’s programming and materials are provided by a cooperative partnership between the ag industry, commodity commissions/organizations, businesses, individuals, educators, the Idaho State Department of Agriculture, and the University of Idaho College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS).Of the 44 counties in Idaho, 36 meet the Commerce Department’s definition as rural. But in recent years, Idaho’s agriculture-themed license plate has been adopted quickest by urban areas wanting to show pride in the state’s farming and ranching industry and to be a part of it.Idaho’s red, white, and blue agriculture specialty plate was launched in 2000 and features green fields, a red barn with silo, a house, and rolling grain fields. Money from these plates is used for curriculum development, curriculum purchase, and workshops for teachers.Rick Waitley, state director for Idaho’s AITC was approached by a state senator who had seen a similar plate in Florida. There have been other ag- and natural resources-themed plates, including a potato plate, rangeland plate, 4-H plate, and forest products plate, but the one that supports Ag in the Classroom is the most universal.“Our brochure tells about the program, and we place these in all offices where people buy a license plate,” Waitley says. Twenty-five dollars of the fee the first year and $15 from each renewal from the specialty plate is deposited in the AITC fund. Several companies in Idaho, especially those in the ag industry, offer incentives (like paying for a portion of the plate) to employees who choose an ag plate for their vehicles.<h2>Wyoming</h2>Wyoming’s AITC has become a model for other states. Wyo Wonders is an elementary education curriculum focused on helping students understand Wyoming’s core heritage industries, equipping them with critical thinking skills in the process. First known as the Wyoming Stewardship Project, Wyo Wonders continues the legacy with stewardship-focused educational resources.Andrew Joannides is Executive Director for this program. “It started in 1986 under the Wyoming Department of Agriculture,” he says. Since then it has seen several variations as an organization, and in 2011 departed from the Department of Agriculture and turned into a 501 c)(3) non-profit. Now its sole purpose is to educate Wyoming students about our core industries.”In 2019, the current curriculum was established. “This curriculum is built around our core industries—agriculture, energy (oil, gas and minerals), outdoor recreation and tourism, geared for grades 2 through 5,” he says. “The lessons are given to teachers, and the kids learn about our state’s industries. The center lesson is based on stewardship—how to be a good steward within those industries--a great lesson for elementary school kids.”<h2>Washington</h2>Gail Shelton and her husband have a small ranch near Ellensburg, Wash. Shelton’s background is teaching and she enjoys helping educate people about agriculture. She started a program with the Washington CattleWomen called “What’s Your Beef In the Classroom” funded through the Washington Beef Commission. Ag teachers, FFA teachers and Family and Consumer Science teachers submit a lesson plan that involves beef nutrition, different cuts of beef and how to cook beef. “A committee goes through the lesson plans and approves them. When they finish the lesson plan they send us pictures executing the plan and receipt for the beef and we send them $100 to help offset the cost of using beef in the classroom,” she says.Shelton also teaches a lesson at their farm fair each year, about brands—telling why ranchers brand, how to design and read a brand, history of branding, all the ways people identify their livestock including ear tags, EID tags, hot branding and freeze branding.“The kids love it,” she says. “I have branding irons, ear tags and EID tags for them to look at, and cows with brands on them. Some of the kids have never been that close to a cow. FFA students tell them about cows, their four stomachs etc. The third-graders gain as much knowledge as we can give them in the short time we have them. Then they go back to the classroom and design their own brand. Teachers send them to us and we select the best brand from each class and give an award.”It gets the kids involved and helps them learn more about cattle--and helps counter some of the “bad press” that cattle are getting.</div></body>

Mountain View, CA

NewsBreak

Ag in the classroom: Educating kids about farming

American agriculture has been the foundation and backbone of our country from the beginning. Agriculture and education were interrelated, since most people lived on farms or in small towns; many kids did farm chores before and after school. Often the school year revolved around planting and harvesting. School textbooks were...