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Ten Things Kids Want
to Know About Farming
New Video Answers Students' Questions

A new 22-minute educational videotape for Grades 4-6 takes students on a series of field trips to farm and ranch locations throughout the United States, offering them a firsthand view of what happens to produce the food and clothing we use everyday.

"Ten Things Kids Want to Know About Farming" is a useful tool for teaching about such fundamental concepts of food production as what can grow on an acre, what constitutes soil and how much water is needed to grow a crop.

Scenes of farmers using tractors and irrigation systems, harvesting crops and trees, milking cows, and herding sheep invite students to experience a world largely unknown to them. By answering questions that kids commonly ask about agriculture, farmers and ranchers share the realities of making a living off the land.

"Ten Things Kids Want to Know About Farming" was produced by the American Farm Bureau Federation and the AFB Foundation for Agriculture. Laurie Wink, director of agricultural education for the Foundation for Agriculture, said, "We often hear that kids today don't know anything about farming, so we decided to find out exactly what kids would ask a farmer if they had an opportunity to talk to one."

Wink worked with Farm Bureau state coordinators of Agriculture in the Classroom programs to come up with questions that school children frequently ask farmers. Agricultural producers provided answers during taped interviews on their farms and ranches. Stewart Truelsen, director of broadcast services for the American Farm Bureau Federation, headed the video production crew.

"The video is intended to give teachers and students a clearer picture of what happens on farms and ranches across America," Wink said. "But it doesn't answer every question." She is developing a supplemental Teachers Guide that will offer ideas for related educational activities and suggestions on where to go for more information.

"Ten Things Kids Want to Know About Farming" is available for $18.50 for a single video and $15 each for 2 or more videos. Orders may be placed by phone at 847-685-8663, by fax at 847-685-8626, by e-mail at marys@fb.org

For additional information contact Tad Duncan at (254) 751-2608
or E-mail: Tad Duncan

 

 

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