Full slate of ag activities for N.L. kids

by Chelsea Foley

Canadian Agriculture Literacy Month (CALM) is a national initiative hosted by Agriculture in the Classroom Canada every March. The 2022 celebration involved unique events across Canada. Agriculture in the Classroom Newfoundland and Labrador (AITC-NL) hosted the month-long event virtually in this province. The theme was: “Our food, our story.”

CALM encourages children to learn about and celebrate agriculture in various ways, including reading books about farming and watching virtual farm tours and agriculture videos. An important element of this event is the connection between students, local farmers, and agriculture industry representatives. AITC-NL strives to continue making that connection.

AITC-NL delivered this program to 5,458 students across Newfoundland and Labrador from kindergarten to Grade 12. AITC-NL shared the stories of farmers and agriculture professionals through online presentations, virtual farm tours, and other resources.

AITC-NL also launched a new storybook titled Plant, Grow, Eat, Share. The story follows Abby and Fabian as they plant and care for their indoor classroom garden. Not only do they work together to grow Tiny Tim tomatoes, but they grow a friendship and an appreciation of other cultures and for growing their own food. 

CAREER EXPO

AITC-NL hosted the virtual “thinkAG Career Expo” from March 7-15. The goals of this event were to increase awareness of agriculture, agri-foods, and agri-science careers among high school students; encourage and attract new entrants to the agriculture industry; provide direction on where to find agriculture career information; and equip students with additional career information to better identify, evaluate, and choose a career path.

Volunteer presenters representing a variety of agri-food sectors provided interesting and motivating sessions. Many of the presenters engaged the students in a variety of activities whereby the students had to demonstrate teamwork, communication, and critical thinking skills. 

A total of 518 students participated in the career expo. There were 10 virtual sessions hosted by 11 volunteer presenters. Their sessions were on agribusiness, food security, dairy farming, agriculture careers, climate change and sustainable agriculture, marketing, university and college careers, hydroponics, plant science and diseases, and chickens 101. 

FARM TOURS

Students also participated in a national initiative called the Great Canadian Farm Tour, hosted by AITC-C. It included virtual visits to 11 farms across Canada, focusing on the diversity of commodities across the country.

Students learned about our country’s agriculture and food story, interacted virtually with farmers, and experienced farm environments. On March 3, the Trouter’s Special Worm Farm in Bay Bulls, N.L., was featured highlighting vermicomposting.

LITERACY CONTEST

As well, AITC-NL partnered again with the Newfoundland and Labrador Beekeeping Association and the Egg Farmers of Newfoundland and Labrador to host the Bee Creative Literacy Contest for kindergarten to Grade 6 classes. Fourteen classes across the province decorated beehives that will house bee colonies at beekeepers’ farms.

(Chelsea Foley is the Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Agriculture’s Agriculture in the Classroom coordinator.)