PSII-7 Considerations for Creating an Agricultural Program Aimed at Engaging Elementary Students

Abstract

Abstract Cultivating interest of younger generations into all facets of agriculture is a critical component to feeding communities and strengthening the local food systems. Current agriculture programs in school curriculum usually begin in high school, so one of the main focuses of this program was to engage younger students. When planning the activities of this program, the committee determined that the program would be a half-day long with a local fifth-grade class. The activities chosen focused on highlighting the swine industry. During program development, the committee chose swine industry-related activities that were engaging, informational, and age appropriate that included building a diet ration, explaining the difference between primal and retail cuts, and demonstrating the proper way to take the temperature of meat products when cooking. These activities received positive feedback, from both students and the classroom teacher. Students were engaged and responsive to questions and enjoyed the connection between pig production and food preparation at home. For example, the students vocalized their enjoyment in learning the pretzels in their snack ‘ration’ mix represented a carbohydrate/energy source which is important in pig diets like it is for humans. More than 50% of the students were able to demonstrate proper technique to check temperature of cooked meat. Moving forward, an aspect to consider is suitable length of each activity appropriate for the age participating; students would become restless when a given activity lasted more than 10 to 15 minutes. There was a total of 75 minutes allotted for the visit, and timing of each activity was as follows: 7 minutes for introductions and discussions, 20 minutes for the ration activity and questions, 20 minutes for the retail cut activity, 15 minutes for the meat temperature demonstration, and the remainder of the time for questions from students. Additionally, a take home document that includes an activity (i.e., a crossword) with a set of clear messages would be beneficial, as this would provide students an opportunity to revisit key points from the activity. One limitation of the current program was lack of formal age-appropriate post-activity assessment to gauge student learning. This would be a necessary component for future activities to determine overall value to student education. Creating an agriculture activity program is important to encourage interest in meat animal agriculture in students across a range of backgrounds. Ensuring that the individuals providing the activity are enthusiastic and engage with students is one of the most important aspects to a successful program. Given the observed engagement of the participants, we believe this program was an effective framework to get youth excited about animal agriculture and the committee should continue program development efforts to offer this program to a broader audience.