MKC, CoBank and Land O' Lakes join forces to support ag education

By Kerry Watson, Director of Communications

Supporting ag education has always been important to MKC. Whether we are joining forces with local schools to teach children how agriculture affects their life every day or providing financial assistance to schools to make sure students have access to programs and educational opportunities outside of their classroom, we want to support those who share our passion for ag education.

Dave Christiansen, MKC President & CEO noted that MKC and its employees take pride in supporting the development of our future leaders. "We feel the groups we choose to support says a lot about our company."

The Walton 21st Century Rural Life Center is just one of the area schools that MKC likes to support. The school first caught the attention of MKC in 2009. Just a few years earlier the school was close to being closed due to declining enrollment. They transitioned to a functioning charter school in the fall of 2007, a good fit for the surrounding community because of its strong agricultural roots. Now the school integrates agriculture into all areas of its curriculum.

The school’s popularity has grown along with outside support to keep it and now there is a waiting list to get in to the school. Moving forward with expanding the classrooms, the school has relied on outside contributions to help offset those costs. In an interview last year with the school’s principal, Natise Vogt, commented the growing pains and state budget cuts makes support from people like MKC even more vital.

Michael Walton, CoBank Representative (center),
and Jeff Naysmith, MKC Representative (at right),
present a donation to be used for the school's
building project.

In recent years the school has also captured the attention of Land O’ Lakes and CoBank, thanks to MKC. Both entities have matched MKC’s donations to the school helping to donate over $14,000 since 2009.

Robert Engel, CEO for CoBank, commented on MKC’s commitment to the school while improving the quality of life in their communities. "We’re delighted to join with MKC in support of the Walton Rural Life Center."
  

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.

Planting seeds of opportunity

By Kerry Watson, Communications Specialist

Standing in front of an assembly of grade school students, (Goessel) USD 411 Superintendent and Principal, John Fast, slipped on a pair of worn out gloves and mentioned he was looking forward to warmer weather because he had been bitten by a bug. 

Students soon found out that it was a gardening bug, not termites or the flu bug as some had guessed, that bit Superintendent Fast and that MKC was donating $500 to help offset costs of the school’s garden program.

Kerry Watson, Communications Specialist for MKC, was on hand to make the presentation to the assembly.

“A large portion of our donations go towards programs that promote ag education, alleviate hunger, develop the leadership skills of youth and improve community safety,” stated Watson.  The school garden is a great opportunity for MKC to donate to as it ties in nicely with two components of our donation program.
 

The garden program was started two years ago when the school received a grant from the state department of education.  The school’s garden was one the first five garden projects in the state of Kansas started that year.

Fast commented that the garden has created a renewed sense of enthusiasm. “Since starting the garden, students have been very excited learning about agriculture, science, nutrition and cooperative learning,” stated Fast. “They enjoy the chance to work in the garden.”

A curriculum has been incorporated with the garden project and includes weekly lessons that are 20 to 30 minutes each for students K through fifth grade.  The Agricultural Education classes help teach the students by inviting them to help start the plantings in the greenhouse.  In addition, students learn to recycle plant and garden refuse in the compost pile. Fast added that several lessons in their curriculum involve visiting farms and dairies so that the students can get a better understanding of how food is raised on a large scale production.  

MKC’s donation will pay for the garden project’s new coordinator, Pam Abrahams.  An avid gardener herself, Abrahams commented that it was important to her that the students have an opportunity to grow their own food. “I think all children should experience the joy and wonder of digging in dirt and watching the seeds they helped to plant grow,” she said.

Joining forces for ag education

Educating today’s youth about agriculture has become a concern for many in recent years. Often children do not understand that many of the things they use every day are products of agriculture, nor do they realize the farm equipment and products they could encounter have potential to cause them harm.

Third graders across Dickinson County gathered earlier this fall in Abilene for “Ag Day” sponsored by the Dickinson County Farm Bureau, a day of farm education, safety, and fun.  Matt McCune, Talmage Location Manager, was on hand to assist Jeff Bathurst, an area producer, with a station on crop nutrient and crop protection safety.

Bathurst, who farms in the Abilene and Talmage area, has participated in the Farm Safety Day for the past eight years and places an emphasis in his farming practice on educating kids. McCune saw where Bathurst had been recognized in the community for his involvement in Ag Day in previous years and approached him about MKC getting involved in the education effort. This is now the second year the two have partnered to present for Farm Bureau.

 “It is important to educate the public about chemicals and what we use them for,” said Bathurst. “Part of MKC’s strength is they understand the farmer and we appreciate the help in educating the public.”

Students were shown the size of an acre of land, discussed safety practices when dealing with crop protection/nutrition products, and had a chance to view one of the Case Patriot sprayers, with 120 foot booms, MKC utilizes in agronomy services.

The students were amazed to learn from McCune that the spray rig could “drive itself” through the use of GPS technology and auto steer.

 “I feel that we need to educate kids in our cities and towns about farm safety, because there is a high likelihood that these kids will encounter farm equipment at some point in their life,” said McCune. 

Shane Eck, Lindsborg Location Manager, recently got involved in the effort to help educate area youth on agriculture by presenting a program on the process of how food and everyday products travel from the farm to their hands.

“I wanted to get involved in classroom education because I feel it is important to teach the next generation about the importance of agriculture.  There are a lot of individuals that do not truly realize the impact agriculture has on society and how much we rely on it,” said Eck.

Eck presented to the fourth grade class at Eisenhower Elementary School in McPherson, beginning his presentation by asking the students what kind of things they used every day. Responses ranged from vehicles to breakfast cereals.

Through an image based web map, students were shown how vehicles could be traced back to the farm by the use of ethanol fuels, a product of corn and milo, which are made locally in Kansas. Or how the cereal they had for breakfast was made from a wheat product.

“The class was very involved and receptive which helped the lesson progress as we hoped,” Eck commented.

Students then moved onto building a model pizza discussing how each ingredient in the pizza from the dough to the toppings came from agriculture. And as a treat for lunch, pizza was provided to solidify the idea that agriculture is truly what feeds them.

“The agriculture presentation by Mid Kansas Coop was a very engaging hands-on experience for my class,” said Tiffany Pacey, fourth grade teacher at Eisenhower Elementary.

“I felt the program went very well,” said Eck. “Since it was our first time presenting it I was unsure of how well it would be received.” 

Eck commented that he would like to further develop the program for middle and high school aged kids with a more advanced program that focuses on career opportunities in agriculture.

MKC places an emphasis on environmental and community stewardships as written in its Core Values. Involvement in safety and education programs is just one way this is demonstrated.

“They learned about where their food comes from through a wonderful visual display, and learned about the various crops grown in Kansas and their uses,” said Pacey. “My students loved looking at and touching all the grains that are grown in Kansas.”

 

MKC donates to Walton Rural Life Center

MKC recently presented a check for $4,000 to the Walton Rural Life Center in Walton.  Jeff Naysmith, MKC’s Location Manager at Walton made the presentation which was part of a matching funds program through Land O’ Lakes and the “Shared Success” program offered by CoBank.


Jeff Naysmith, MKC Location Manager, presents a
donation to students from Walton Rural Life Center.

“We truly appreciate this donation and would like to give a big Walton Rural Life Center thank you from the students and staff,” said Natise Vogt, Principal.  “Part of the money will go directly to enhance our project-based learning and part will go into our foundation for expanding the school.

Planting the seed

By Kathy Hanks, Freelance Writer for MKC
School funding cuts forced a McPherson teacher, Tiffany Pacey, to eliminate class field trips to the farm.

But, she still wanted to introduce her Eisenhower Elementary School kindergarten students to the world of agriculture and help them understand where their food came from.

So, she visited the Groveland branch of Mid Kansas Cooperative and brought back different grains to discuss with her curious students.

“I was flying by the seat of my pants,” Pacey admitted.