Faribault-Area Farmers Teach Third-Graders About Farming

The Faribault Chamber of Commerce Agribusiness committee for many years has had a program called Adopt A Third Grade. This is where a farmer goes into third-grade classes and talks about what farmers do and how their food ends up in the grocery store. In the spring, the Faribault Chamber Agribusiness Committee organizes a field trip for the third-graders to visit a farm with livestock. Even though Faribault is a rural community, a large majority of third-graders have never been on a farm. Food items from the grocery store that they recognize are brought along to show the students all the items that have corn and soybeans in them.

For many years Kevin Estrem, a farmer and pork producer from Nerstrand, has done all the classroom presentations. He has gotten so busy with requests from schools that other members from the Agribusiness committee have stepped up to help with some of the visits. Friday morning Bart Jackson, Brent Fuchs and I did two presentations at the Lincoln school in Faribault. In the early afternoon Brent Fuchs, Farryl Kluis and I did another presentation at the Stem School in Faribault. We also leave coloring books, crayons, pencils, erasers and other items with the students. These have all been donated from the Minnesota Corn and Soybean Growers, Minnesota Farm Bureau, Rice County Pork Producers and the Minnesota Department of Agriculture's Ag In the Classroom program.