OAK RIDGE, Mo. – Agriculture Education On The Move™ (AEOTM), a program of Missouri Farmers Care Foundation (MFCF), is a proactive, educational program that brings agricultural-based knowledge and activities to elementary classrooms statewide. Through this 10-week agricultural literacy program elementary students learned about crops, livestock, soil and water conservation, nutrition, careers and more from passionate, trained FFA educators. These FFA student leaders presented agricultural topics through engaging activities and lessons while developing their speaking and leadership skills.
“We believe by working together we can achieve more,” said AEOTM Program Director Heather Fletcher. “We work with commodity checkoff groups and agricultural organizations to bring quality resources to the classroom in a way that engages students. Working with FFA chapters allows high school students to gain valuable experience as educators while sharing their knowledge with youth in their communities.”
Twenty-six third-grade students at Oak Ridge Elementary participated in STEM-focused lessons, along with coordinating hands-on activities which involved making bread, butter, corn plastic, soybean necklaces, feed rations, soil profiles and more. These firsthand experiences provided a fun and interactive way of learning while meeting classroom curriculum objectives. Third graders got to hear about the lives of Missouri farm families and learn about the dedication, compassion, sacrifice, and work ethic necessary to maintain a farm.
“The entire community benefits from Agri-Ready Designation as local third graders experience the thrill of germinating seeds, understanding the basics of how their food is produced and seeing, many for the first time, the agriculture all around them,” said Ashley McCarty, MFC executive director. “We appreciate the efforts of FFA leaders spending time sharing their knowledge and passion of agriculture with elementary students in their community.”
AEOTM is a component of Cape Girardeau County’s Agri-Ready County Designation program. MFC’s Agri-Ready County Designation launched in December 2015 as a voluntary connection between Missouri counties and the leadership of Missouri agriculture. Agri-Ready County Designation recognizes and builds on the impact of family farmers and agri-businesses as key contributors to our economy and the quality of life in our communities.
The AEOTM program is funded through Missouri Farmers Care, a coalition of more than 40 Missouri agriculture groups, including support from Missouri soybean farmers and their checkoff and the MFA Oil Foundation.
Ag Education on the Move™ (AEOTM), a program of Missouri Farmers Care, is a proactive, educational effort that brings passionate, trained educators to the classroom to build agricultural literacy at elementary ages. The ten-week hands-on education program works to increase general understanding of agriculture through interactive educational experiences in the classroom and on the farm. www.agmoves.com
MISSOURI FARMERS CARE FOUNDATION
Missouri Farmers Care Foundation enables Missourians to understand the influence and importance of agriculture in their daily lives by serving as the centralized hub of the unified educational programs, awards, and hunger relief efforts of Missouri’s agricultural community. www.MOFarmersCare.com
MISSOURI FARMERS CARE
Missouri Farmers Care is a joint effort by Missouri’s agriculture community to stand together for the men and women who provide the food and jobs on which our communities depend. The coalition of more than 40 leading Missouri agricultural groups promotes the growth of Missouri agriculture and rural communities through coordinated communication, education and advocacy. www.MOFarmersCare.com