Students look at a pail of canola. (file photo/farmnewsNOW Staff)

By Alice McFarlane

Agriculture Literacy Month

Ag literacy month to focus on technology

Mar 2, 2020 | 4:43 PM

March is Agriculture Literacy Month in Saskatchewan.

Volunteers are visiting schools this month sharing the theme of agriculture technology. Students learn about the importance of innovation on modern farms and ranches.

Agriculture in the Classroom Executive Director Sara Shymko said it’s important to talk to students in an effort to get the proper information out.

“There is no lack of information that’s available. But, certainly, sometimes messages can get mixed up or bits of information can be taken out of context,” Shymko said. “When people from the agriculture community are in classrooms, students, and teachers have an opportunity to ask them questions and hopefully dispel some of the myths or just get clarification.”

Shymko said they want to focus on how technology helps farmers to do a better job of taking care of crops and animals. She said it is more meaningful when farmers tell that story in person.

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“With less than two per cent of the population farming, there’s many, many kids who haven’t met a farmer, or who have never been on a farm. Sometimes the farmers are a little bit of a celebrity when they’re inside the classroom,” Shymko said. “It really helped to put a face to the food that people are eating. It really goes a long way to building trust in agriculture. When relationships can be formed, that’s how trust is built. We as an industry want people to trust what we are doing and trust that there’s research and science that goes into the decisions that we are making, because our goal is to raise the healthiest, safest, affordable food possible.”

There are numerous activities going on across the province. Saskatchewan Agriculture Minister David Marit was at Kitchener School in Regina today to meet with Grade 3 and 4 students, read a story and participated in an activity where students had to identify the various uses of technology on a farm.

“The story is about ag technology. It’s a great message and really we’re just trying to promote agriculture in our schools. Producers, value added processors, folks of that nature, to reach out to school kids in classrooms and tell their story on just how well we do it here in Saskatchewan,” Marit said. “We offer some of the best careers in ag technology and research and there’s a great opportunity for young kids to consider entering the ag field. I think it’s just a great story to tell.”

Marit said while the province grows safe and healthy food which is promoted around the world, more needs to be done at home.

“We tell that story to our customers. We have to tell our story to the kids here in our own province as well and give them every opportunity to see what we do, how we do it, and give them opportunities to look at careers in the ag industry. It’s not just about growing crops. It’s about ag technology, it’s about research, it’s about processing,” Marit said. “There’s so many different aspects to it that we just want to make sure that kids have a good handle on what’s happening in the agriculture industry.”

Shymko said the program is successful because of the many volunteers sharing the agriculture story this month.

“In the province this year, we have over 200 volunteers visiting 230 schools across the province and will be reaching out to about 8,000 students directly,” Shymko said. “A huge shout out to all the volunteers in the agriculture community who take time out of their busy days and their schedules to share their personal story, because building trust in agriculture is everybody’s role who has a passion for food production here in our province.”

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alice.mcfarlane@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @AliceMcF