Natalie Hansen reaches deep to her roots—grass roots, that is—as she expands the minds of fourth and fifth graders in the science labs of the Palacios ISD.

"I’ve been a farmer all my life," she says from her East Side Intermediate classroom. "My parents raised rice. Then I married a farmer and I’ve been involved in the Ag in the Classroom for numerous years, so I can’t imagine teaching without it. It’s too much a part of me to not include ag in everything I do."

For more than a decade Hansen has drawn upon her past experiences in teaching students what she calls the foundation of "all that we eat and the oxygen that we breathe." Her dedication to bringing agriculture into the classroom was recognized this summer when she was chosen as one of only a handful of educators across the nation to receive a scholarship to attend the National Agriculture in the Classroom Conference in St. Louis, Mo. The spots are highly competitive and somewhat of a reward for bringing the fruits of the farming and ranching industries to those who would otherwise never hear the story.

As she soaked in the historical city called the Gateway to the West, Hansens says she marveled at the grand Mississippi and the intensity of the entire Ag in the Classroom program and the dedication people have for it. Even with agriculture serving as the lifeblood of her existence, the national program was able to enhance her expertise.

"It brought forth the knowledge that I have and combined it with classroom lessons," she says. "Some of the parts I knew and was working with in the classroom, but the experience helped me make it a better, more well-rounded lesson."

Such is the overall goal of Ag in the Classroom. The program teaches students in grades 1-6 how agriculture touches their lives daily. From the time students wake up and pull back their cotton sheets, brush their teeth, pack a lunch and ride to school in a car or school bus with rubber tires, they learn how agriculture touches their life each day, every day.

"Although a lot of us know about agriculture, it’s sometimes difficult to translate that in the classroom to where kids can understand it," says Texas Farm Bureau Education Coordinator Tad Duncan. "We take things for granted sometimes and have to get down to basics so kids can adapt."

In 1981, the USDA took the leading role in helping states organize and develop their own Ag in the Classroom programs.

Texas Farm Bureau began developing its Ag in the Classroom program in 1985. County Farm Bureaus have been the keys to success. They introduce the program to the schools in their counties, provide funding for resource materials and develop and coordinate follow-up activities such as Ag Fairs.

Resources for teachers are available, including Food and Fiber for the 21st Century, a three-ring binder full of lesson plans, ideas and activities that make agriculture come alive for students. Additional resources include a video exploring the four major geographic regions of Texas, careers in agriculture and many other ideas for all grade levels.

Today, many children are three to four generations removed from the farm and few have knowledge of where milk, bread or the clothes they wear come from. Ag in the Classroom is a medium to help break down those barriers.

Even in rural, coastal Palacios, very few of Hansen’s students are "off the farm." However, their excitement for gaining a green thumb has been tremendous. So much so, Hansen has taken her lessons to the outdoors, creating a garden for some hands-on experiences.

Thanks to a grant from the local Presbyterian church and a few lessons from the Master Gardeners chapter, students "dig" their education. Six raised garden beds now grace the open area at the center of the East Side Intermediate Campus. Three are for each grade level at the school, while the remaining three are there for community use.

Students studied soil types to determine what would be the most productive for their gardens. Recycled asphalt was used for walkways around the raised beds and students painted old bowling balls to add a little garden art to the whole project.

The plan is to have the students take some of what is grown home with them. The rest will be donated to the local Martha’s Kitchen organization. Through all the hard work, Hansen could never see herself teaching the youth of tomorrow any other way.

"I guess I feel like I’m a steward of the land," Hansen said. "I have agriculture in my past and my present life and I will always find agriculture close to my heart."