Teaching the next generation about agriculture can be tough but so important. Ag teachers do an amazing job preparing the next generation of agriculture’s workers and advocates, but teaching this subject isn’t just for ag teachers. Anyone can apply the principles of teaching ag to their own kids, to kids in their 4-H club or FFA chapter, and youth can even teach other youth in their community.
Ag education is important because it teaches kids life lessons, exposes them to career opportunities, shows them the truth behind misconceptions, and helps them become educated and informed consumers. So here are some tips on how to engage with the next generation and teach them more about agriculture!
Grab their attention
Today, people (especially kids) have shorter attention spans than ever before. Grabbing and keeping kids’ attention is an important start to education. Keeping educational sessions short and making the content interactive and varied are great strategies to teach kids about ag.
Robin Tidd, an ag teacher in Mankato, Minnesota, agrees. She recommends that people “make sure that you incorporate multiple ways for each student to learn, such as notes, videos, discussions, labs, activities and more, and make sure they personally can relate to it.”
Tidd says that having a relationship with those you’re trying to teach is also important.
“If you don’t have a relationship, they aren’t going to listen to you,” she says.
Tidd’s first few weeks of the school year are mostly working to build relationships and get students engaged in the topic of agriculture. She also stressed that kids need to care about the topic that is being taught to them and that youth teaching youth is also a helpful strategy when it comes to teaching kids about ag.
“If the topic isn’t important to them personally, they most likely won’t care. I try to connect everything we talk about to personal experiences and allow students to share information about what they know about the areas,” Tidd said. “So many classes students are in today are sitting and taking notes, so it takes time for students to get used to it.”
Elevate youth organizations
4-H and FFA are great ways for kids to learn more about agriculture. These programs provide kids with the opportunity to follow their own passions and teach other youth about agriculture.
Some easy and fun ways to teach your own kids about ag are visiting a farm, growing your own fruits and vegetables, and talking about agriculture and nutrition with your kids when you go grocery shopping!
Listening up and speaking up
Some other easy ways to teach kids about ag are by watching videos about agriculture and showing them social media posts from some great ag influencers who share facts and information.
You can also advocate for ag education in schools. Talking to your local school board is a great place to start with this. Ensuring ag has a place in schools is the best way to make sure that all kids have an opportunity to learn about it. If you are a farmer, don’t shy away from opening your barn doors while offering field trips or tours.
Agriculture is important for everyone to learn about, but it can be especially valuable for kids to start learning. Everyone eats, and it’s never to early to get them interested in understanding where their food comes from. Ag education is best taught using interactive and inventive methods and luckily, there are almost countless ways to teach kids about agriculture!
Michelle Miller, the “Farm Babe,” is an internationally recognized keynote speaker, writer, and social media influencer and travels full time to advocate for agriculture. She comes from an Iowa-based row crop and livestock farming background and now resides on a timber farm in North Central Florida.
