3 minute read
Modern farming practices taught remotely Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City
PHOTOS SUBMITTED FFA student Eric Melberg explains how a planter works as part of a video created to show school kids in Minneapolis.
Wilson Gratz created drone footage of local farms to show school kids in Minneapolis.
Modern farming practices taught remotely
2021 Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City FFA students (from left) Taylor Fester, Wilson Gratz and Eric Melberg get ready for the Google Classroom meeting.
FFA members share their experience with Minneapolis students
BY SARAH COLBURN | STAFF WRITER
WE MAKE HYDRAULIC HOSES! WE MAKE HYDRAULIC HOSES!
5080 Keyline with loader, 75 hp $49,900
5110 G with loader 106 hp $72,900
‘10 JD 458 • $13,500 ‘14 JD 569 • $35,950
Call Josh 320-573-2341
4054 50th Ave Swanville, MN 56382
www.wollerequipment.com
CA-Nov5-1B-BL
ATWATER-COSMOS- GROVE CITY – The Kandiyohi County Farm Bureau and a local chapter of FFA have partnered up to bring agriculture to kids in the classroom.
The partnership has high school FFA students in the Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City chapter sharing about their family farms in front of fourth graders here locally and to a classroom of students in Minneapolis.
“It’s to share, to put a face to ag,” said JoAnn Gratz, a volunteer with the bureau. “High schoolers are total rock stars in the eyes of elementary kids. They share their story and their enthusiasm.”
The collaboration began two years ago and Gratz said she’s looking forward to the programming continuing this year and beyond. In 2020, just before COVID-19 restrictions shut down schools, the FFA students and local farmers from the bureau went into classrooms to teach kids about how farmers care for their animals. They discussed how farmers decide on the nutrition that’s best for their animals, how farmers prepare places for their animals to sleep and how they track each animal’s care.
The mission is multi-fold, to give kids an idea of where their food comes, how much work goes into production and to educate kids about the importance of today’s modern farming practices.
“We as farmers work hard every day to grow and produce wholesome food to feed our nation and world and we love what we do and we’re committed to producing food in a responsible way,” Gratz said.
Those messages are important, she said, as kids FFA page 19
EXCLUSIVE DEALER OF EXCLUSIVE DEALER OF Automatic AGR GRii-Speed Speed HITCH HITCH
1 1 2 2 3 3
We ship anywhere!
• One person operation - eliminate the need for a second hand for hook-ups • Simple drawbar mount Give us • PTO compatible a call! • Fast, reliable, few moving parts • SAFER - Doesn’t require climbing on or off tractor • Meets or exceed D.O.T requirements • Available for pick-ups, choppers, tractors, wagons, etc.
All Aluminum/Stainless Steel Welding All Aluminum/Stainless Steel Welding and Metal Sales. and Metal Sales. We also provided Portable Welding We also provided Portable Welding
