Crop For Kids
Agronomy & Pest Management
Jan Yingling
CEA-Agriculture
University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Servi
Searcy
Abstract
Presentation In Agronomy & Pest Management
Crops For Kids: Bringing Row Crop Producers & Students Together One Field at a Time
Yingling, J.
Agriculture/4-H Agent, University of Arkansas, Searcy, AR. 72143
Our society today is seeing a gap of agriculture awareness between generations, as populations urbanize. One of the top five issues in our County, determined by the Row Crop Subcommittee, is agriculture awareness in school-aged youth. The County Extension agent, in 2000, created a program to partner local area schools, the Extension Service, Farm Bureau and local row crop producers together in a comprehensive, row crop agriculture awareness program, to address this issue. This program is still going strong through staff changes and COVID. The program is designed to reach 5th graders at two school districts. The program starts in the Spring semester and is completed the following Fall semester as the youth are then 6th graders. One location focuses on rice and the other focuses on corn production. Extension staff visits each school in the Spring to teach about plant science, soil science, and crop production. The lessons are age appropriate, hands-on, and tied to the core standards of Arkansas. Over the summer, local row crop producers manage their crop recording inputs and field management. In the Fall, the then 6th graders are bused to the farm to observe the harvesting operation first-hand. The producers interact with the youth as they explain the process of growing crops, caring for plants for optimal yields, and the equipment used to harvest the crops. The producers then donate the profit from one acre of their crop to the classroom. The County Agent then teaches the economics of producing row crops and the class determines if the acre of crops was profitable. Then students are allowed to decide which charitable organization they would like to donate their profit. Farm Bureau provides a tabletop rice mill and Ag Readers for each commodity for the program. Pre & post tests are used to evaluate the student's knowledge increases. Crops for Kids has been a successful program across the county among the students and our producers. Other counties across our state have adapted and replicated the program to meet their local needs to increase agricultural awareness.
Authors: Jan Yingling
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Jan Yingling CEA-Agriculture, University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service, Arkansas, 72143