Agriculture coming to school curriculum

Jun 12, 2017

Canada provides over half a million dollars for agriculture education

By Jennifer Jackson

The Government of Canada is highlighting the importance of agriculture education in schools across the country. Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, announced an investment of up to $567,786 for Agriculture in the Classroom Canada (AITC-C), according to a June 9 release.

AITC-C is a non-profit organization that provides agriculture and food industry curriculum resources to schools across the country. The educational resources assist in the creation of a more viable agricultural industry, according to AITC-C.

“Educating students about the importance of agriculture will contribute to a stronger, sustainable, Canadian agricultural industry,” MacAulay said in the release. “This initiative will provide students with information about the importance of agriculture in Canada and will help create opportunities to empower young future leaders in the sector.”

Classroom

AlexBrylov/iStock/GettyImagesPlus

AITC-C will use the government funding to develop more educational resources for primary and secondary students, and for the promotion of the sector’s job opportunities.

“We are absolutely delighted with this new partnership with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada through Growing Forward 2, to champion agriculture education across the nation,” Christa Wright, chair of AITC-C and coordinator for AITC Newfoundland and Labrador, said in the release. “AITC-C’s inquiry-based, curriculum-linked resources and initiatives, delivered through its provincial member organizations, will affect real advancement in the sharing of Canada’s agriculture and food story.

“This funding will assist AITC-C to capitalize on Canadians’ interest in how their food is produced, by providing accurate, balanced and current teaching tools on our agri-food system.”

The government investment is funded by Growing Forward 2 (GF2). The Fostering Business Development Stream of GF2’s AgriCompetitiveness Program “supports activities that nurture entrepreneurial capacity in the agriculture sector through the development of young and established farmers, farm safety, skills, and leadership,” according to the release.

Farms.com has reached out to AITC-C for more information on how the funding will be used.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.