Bright eyes, eager hands and endless questions filled Sarah Burgess’s Grade 1 and 2 classroom last week as industry professional, Lyndsay Friesen stopped in.
“I do enjoy sharing about agriculture, especially to an audience who is so interested and excited to understand where all these things come from,” said Friesen, who grew up on a farm near Douglas and now works for Monsanto’s research and development department.
Friesen is one of many industry professionals across the country who stepped into the classroom to help educate some of the country’s youngest consumers on where their food comes from as part of Canadian Agriculture Literacy Week.
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Agriculture in the Classroom (AITC) and Farm Credit Canada partnered in the initiative.
“We are thrilled to participate in the fourth annual Canadian Agriculture Literacy Week,” said Johanne Ross, executive director of AITC-Manitoba. “In Canada, most families are two or three generations away from the farm. Canadian Agriculture Literacy Week provides an opportunity to help all young Canadians understand the importance and value of agriculture.”
Friesen, who also volunteered with the program last year, visited Earl Oxford Elementary School in Brandon on Wednesday, March 4.
During the presentation students worked through a few hands-on exercises where they matched crops with end-products and crushed some canola seed to extract oil. Friesen also demonstrated the value chain, how food reaches consumers and discussed the hard work and challenges that farmers face.
“I definitely enjoy helping kids see the connection between agriculture and the things they eat in their daily lives,” said Friesen. “This is really a great way to educate them and in a fun way that will hopefully stick with them as they grow up.”
Following the hands-on demonstration, Friesen read the AITC-created children’s book, The Adventures of Michael and Mia: Stewards of the Land, written by Edward Willett and illustrated by Val Lawton.
“As consumers, our personal connection with agriculture can affect our food product selection. Knowledge of local farm communities positively impacts public support for a viable agricultural sector in our country,” said Ross.
Throughout Canadian Agriculture Literacy Week, more than 200,000 students in more than 500 classrooms learned about the industry and connected with a farmer or industry professional to gain a better understanding of the role agriculture plays in their lives.
