Engaging in local activities is one way GreenStone gives back to places where we work and live. Our employees carry out our passion for community engagement through a variety of activities both as GreenStone representatives and as volunteers – we are pleased to tell their stories here. Watch for upcoming stories of how our employees give back in our Open Fields blog!
What better way of educating about agriculture than starting with children? Hillsdale County Farm Bureau provides a lesson on agriculture to Kindergarteners in Hillsdale County schools every year – a program called Ag in the Classroom. This is a statewide program designed to bring agricultural education into classrooms. The kids engage in lessons where they learn about various commodities grown or raised in Michigan. Educators then relate the commodities to products the students are familiar with like the milk in their cereal or vegetables on their dinner plate.
Elizabeth Wernette, an associate appraiser at GreenStone’s Adrian branch participated in the program this year, traveling to Reading Elementary School’s Kindergarten classroom in March. Elizabeth stressed the importance of educating kids at this young age so they know where their food comes from. The kids got crafty with a fun activity putting together a take-home project helping them understand the process of growing food. Elizabeth shared that the activity was very popular among the students; they loved seeing the farming process up close and in a relatable way.
“Educating kids at this impressionable age is so important,” Elizabeth said. “I like to ask them what a farmer looks like and whether or not I look like a farmer. Most of the time the kids do not think I look like a farmer, so it is important to show them what the modern farmer can look like.”
Many kids do not have the opportunity to learn about agriculture in their communities. This can result in surprise later on when discovering there are countless varieties of farms and agricultural lifestyles. Often these farms and lifestyles differ from the stereotype of “Old McDonald”-type farms. Educating the kids in our communities when they are young is imperative, so they may grow to understand and appreciate agriculture and how it affects their lives. The Ag in the Classroom program is one fantastic way of providing kids with a foundation of knowledge about agriculture in their communities. Keep up with our GreenStone in the Community series to read about more ways GreenStone team members engage in and support our agricultural communities.
What better way of educating about agriculture than starting with children? Hillsdale County Farm Bureau provides a lesson on agriculture to Kindergarteners in Hillsdale County schools every year – a program called Ag in the Classroom. This is a statewide program designed to bring agricultural education into classrooms. The kids engage in lessons where they learn about various commodities grown or raised in Michigan. Educators then relate the commodities to products the students are familiar with like the milk in their cereal or vegetables on their dinner plate.
Elizabeth Wernette, an associate appraiser at GreenStone’s Adrian branch participated in the program this year, traveling to Reading Elementary School’s Kindergarten classroom in March. Elizabeth stressed the importance of educating kids at this young age so they know where their food comes from. The kids got crafty with a fun activity putting together a take-home project helping them understand the process of growing food. Elizabeth shared that the activity was very popular among the students; they loved seeing the farming process up close and in a relatable way.
“Educating kids at this impressionable age is so important,” Elizabeth said. “I like to ask them what a farmer looks like and whether or not I look like a farmer. Most of the time the kids do not think I look like a farmer, so it is important to show them what the modern farmer can look like.”
Many kids do not have the opportunity to learn about agriculture in their communities. This can result in surprise later on when discovering there are countless varieties of farms and agricultural lifestyles. Often these farms and lifestyles differ from the stereotype of “Old McDonald”-type farms. Educating the kids in our communities when they are young is imperative, so they may grow to understand and appreciate agriculture and how it affects their lives. The Ag in the Classroom program is one fantastic way of providing kids with a foundation of knowledge about agriculture in their communities. Keep up with our GreenStone in the Community series to read about more ways GreenStone team members engage in and support our agricultural communities.
