In Your Community: Outreach and Education
Today, less than five percent of Iowans farm. But the role farmers play in providing our food, energy, fiber, and other daily needs has never been more important. Farm Bureau is passionate about helping farmers tell their stories and helping consumers understand today’s agriculture.
Noah Coppess - Cedar County Farm Bureau Member
Throughout the year, you’ll see county Farm Bureaus engaging in local outreach efforts, such as farm tours, movie theater ads, billboards, social media, print ads and fun activities. All of these efforts are designed to help consumers understand where their food comes from, how livestock is cared for and what farmers are doing to protect soil and water.
It’s also vital for Iowa’s youth to understand and appreciate the role agriculture plays in their lives. County Farm Bureaus take great pride in working with teachers to incorporate agriculture-themed curriculum into classrooms across the state, through various Ag In The Classroom (AITC) projects.
Teaching about agriculture in Iowa is an ideal way for students to learn about an industry and way of life that's critically important to their state and make real-life connections to science, math and social studies concepts.
Hundreds of volunteers, along with AITC staff, enter classrooms and reach thousands of students every year. Programs and resources are developed with teacher needs and academic standards in mind and are coupled with STEM-based (science, technology, engineering, math) learning activities.