Jerry’s Third-Grade Visit at Faribault’s Roosevelt Elementary

On Thursday morning Brent Fuchs and I did two presentations at Roosevelt Elementary School in Faribault. The Faribault Chamber of Commerce Agri-Business committee has an adopt a third grade program. This is where a couple of farmers go into a third-grade class and talk about agriculture and how their food gets to the grocery store. Later this spring all the classes will go out to visit a farm. We also have a number of things like pencils, erasers, coloring books, pamphlets and even hardcover books to leave in the classroom. Of course they are all age appropriate.

In addition, we have a big box of grocery items that the third-graders would recognize, all of them made from corn or soybeans. We also talk about livestock because livestock eat corn and soybeans. I always begin by asking the students if their parents have ever taken them to the doctor or dentist, or did they ride the bus to school? The point is sometimes you need a bus driver, doctor or dentist, but at least three times every day you need a farmer. It is fun to get the students involved and asking questions.