Agricultural Literacy Educating America from the Ground Up

Rosemary Gustafson, MN | PR Region III Rep.

As CattleWomen, we have always focused on educating Educating ourselves, educating others about the beef industry, and educating consumers about the beef they purchase Now more than ever, agricultural literacy is crucial We’ve all heard the statistic that most citizens today are three generations removed from the farm That means Americans are agriculturally illiterate - they don't know where their food comes from They don't understand the importance of agriculture and agricultural research or why money needs to be spent to maintain our agricultural infrastructure

Recently, I was visiting with ANCW & MN CattleWoman member Ann Marie Ward, Executive Director of Minnesota Agriculture in the Classroom, Inc Foundation While lining up an ag event for our local Farm Bureau Ag Day Breakfast, I expressed how difficult it was finding relevant, fun ways to engage and educate youth She encouraged me to investigate the National Ag in the Classroom (NAITC) website (https://agclassroom.org//), and encouraged all cattlewomen members to utilize both the National & State level curriculums in outreach efforts.

PHOTO BY MARTIN R SMITH

Ag in the Classroom…Not just for “classrooms”. When we think of educating, we immediately think of school. We imagine individuals who have spent years in college earning degrees in education or their subject area. However, so much of life’s teaching moments happen outside of the school walls. In fact, some of the most effective and passionate educators are those who do not have a formal degree. Homeschooling parents and volunteers are educators. Their passion and dedication to a topic can make a significant impact on those they work with. Ultimately, what matters most is a person's ability to connect with others and inspire them to learn.

Many of today’s youth are involved in extracurricular activities, such as 4-H, Scouts, and FFA. Consider reaching out to these advisors to share the available resources in NAITC They may find materials to use for a certain badge or project area Materials from

NAITC could pair nicely with their message and offer additional resources that they may not have previously had access to Talking Beef National Ag in the Classroom supports state programs, such as farm-to-school type nutrition programs, by providing a network that seeks to improve agricultural literacy among PreK-12 teachers and their students Agriculture in the Classroom (AITC) programs apply authentic, agricultural-based content as the context to teach core curriculum concepts in science, social studies, language arts and nutrition Encourage any teachers you know to embed agriculture into their classrooms! I encourage each of you to explore the NAITC website There are areas for both teachers and youth to explore. The curriculums are easy to search; searching by “Beef” pulls up 17 ready to use lesson plans, with companion kits, maps, books, movies and posters!

During my conversation with Ann Marie, she stressed that the projects are engaging, realistic, and affordable. They are ready to use and are “kitchen pantry friendly”. Most materials that accompany the curriculum, can be found in your cupboards at home. Ann Marie is fro the Bemidji, MN area and previously served as a Youth Development H Program Coordinator. Her background as an educational consultan with PBS gives her a great foundation for understanding and promoting agriculture Our goal as ag advocates is to have our youth understand how the agricultural industry works – not just where food comes from, but who grows it, agriculture’s effect on the economy, environment, technology, lifestyle and its relationship to livestock An Marie’s final take away on NAITC? “Don’t reinvent the wheel – we have all these wheels – help us keep them moving!”