Engaging youth in agriculture

By Nichole Gouldie, Communications Specialist

Now that school is back in session, kids are being immersed in reading, science and math. Outside the classroom at the Kansas State Fair, children had the opportunity to experience first-hand the importance of agriculture.

Last Friday I had the chance to volunteer with the Kansas Beef Council (KBC) at Agriland. Agriland, an interactive exhibit in the Pride of Kansas building, provides youth and adults the opportunity to learn the importance of agriculture and the impact it has on their everyday lives.

Guests visiting Agriland traveled through learning areas for beef, dairy, soils, grains, stewardship and nutrition/dietary guidelines. In those areas we taught visitors about how crops and livestock provide us not only with food, but also with numerous products we use in our everyday lives—from basketballs to bubble gum. In the livestock area, fair goers took photos with the cutouts and weighed themselves on a scale, comparing themselves with the weights of a calf or a bushel of grain. In the grains area children immersed their hands in buckets of grain including corn, soybeans, wheat, sorghum, sunflowers and others. A favorite for the kids was the experience of "driving" a combine.

Agriland is a cooperative effort developed and sponsored by KBC, Kansas Department of Agriculture, Kansas Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom, Kansas Wheat, Kansas Grain Sorghum Commission, Kansas Corn Growers Association and Commission, Kansas Sunflower Commission, Kansas Soybean Association and Commission, Kansas Agri-Women, Kansas Cotton Association, Kansas Dairy Commission, Midwest Dairy and the Miami County Conservation District.

I believe agriculture education to school children is so important. Many people have a hard time relating to agriculture, rightly so—only 2% of the U.S. population is involved with the actual production aspect of agriculture.

I share the same belief with MKC regarding the importance of agricultural education. MKC takes great pride in contributing to the quality of life in the communities throughout its territory focusing on ag education, alleviating hunger, leadership development and community safety. MKC demonstrates ag education stewardship through their support of the Kansas Foundation for Ag in the Classroom, 4-H, Farm Safety Camps, FFA and much more.

At MKC, the desire to educate youth about agriculture goes deep within so many employees. Many other employees across the company take the time to educate youth about agriculture as well. For example, Shane Eck, location manager at Lindsborg, and several other employees visit schools teaching students about where their food comes from. Forty students from the Inman FFA Chapter participated in an educational tour with our Groveland employees. There students were given a tour of the offices and had an opportunity to hear about each employee’s job responsibilities and their educational background.

I encourage everyone to take the opportunity to educate youth about the importance of agriculture. It is pretty incredible to share the agricultural story with young people!

Have you presented about agriculture in a classroom visit? If so, how did it go? Do you agree education of our young people is a critical component of promoting agriculture? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below.