Today, many schools across Minnesota are being shown documentaries like Food Inc. and Cowspiracy, where agriculture is being portrayed in a negative light, only showing one side of the diverse industry.
As parents and community members, it is important to combat these issues and get the real story of agriculture into classrooms, giving educators the correct information and resources for the students to use their critical thinking skills.
The U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance® and Discovery Education have partnered on a new initiative to engage urban youth with a first-hand glimpse into modern agriculture. Using the award-winning documentary, FARMLAND, as a foundation, this new initiative will inspire students using an innovative, multi-modal curriculum that brings to life critical issues impacting the agriculture industry, such as sustainability, the new science behind farming, and entrepreneurship.
Designed for grades 9 through 12, the downloadable lesson plans are aligned with Next Generation Science Standards and agribusiness standards under the National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium (NASDCTEc). Companion activities are provided to extend the impact of the program’s customized lesson plans.
Virtual field trips are also available through this program.
To learn more about the FARMLAND documentary or how to get the documentary into area schools along with the downloadable lesson plans, click here or contact the Minnesota Soybean office at firstname.lastname@example.org or 507-388-1635.