Ask a Farmer: Why Is It Important To Introduce Children to Agriculture?
We asked Robeson County Farm Bureau Board member Michelle Shooter why she believes it’s important to introduce children to agriculture at a young age:
When you teach a child about agriculture, they learn concepts they can use throughout their lives:
- When hope and faith are planted along with a seed, tall trees and bountiful fields can appear.
- Caring for animals and plants is time well spent.
- Dedication, hard work and perseverance produce more than dirty clothes and sweat.
- Protecting the environment is everyone’s job. We can’t farm or live in our communities if we neglect our resources.
- Follow your passions. Farmers take pride in a job well done and by serving others. The journey from seed to crop requires infrastructure and people along the way. Teamwork is important and communication is key.
Teaching children about agriculture helps them understand that food doesn’t magically appear on the grocery store shelves and that our farms should be protected. However, if we think about it, teaching children about agriculture can also strengthen their overall development and, ultimately, our communities.
About the Farmer: Michelle Shooter is a Robeson County Farm Bureau Board member and a Plant Pest Specialist for the North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services.