Visit to Jefferson Elementary School in Faribault

Wednesday morning area farmer and Pioneer Sales Representative Brent Fuchs and I visited the Jefferson Elementary School in Faribault. We talked to two third grade classes at 9:30 and the other two at 10:30. This is part of the Faribault Chamber of Commerce Agri-Business Committee's Adopt a Third Grade Program. It could also be called Ag in the Classroom. At this time we have visits lined up for Lincoln Elementary and the STEM School in Faribault too.

We have a number of food items from the grocery store that the students will recognize. All of them have some form of corn or soybeans on the ingredient label. We show them a small bag of corn, soybeans and have pictures of how the seeds are planted harvested and loaded out of a bin.

We try and get the message across that if you eat, you need a farmer raising corn, soybeans and livestock. After a while we ask them what is on the menu for lunch that day at the school. Then we relate whatever it is back to the corn and soybeans that were used for the food item. Depending on what meat is being served we relate back that the livestock are fed corn and beans too.

Even though they are only third graders the students always get the connection between eating and farmers. Then I suggest that maybe it would be good if we did not have farmers. Then they would not have to waste their time eating lunch, they could get a lot more classroom work done. The third graders do not think that would be a good idea!