Canadian Agriculture Literacy Week Kicks Off

Mar 04, 2013

Celebrating Agriculture in Classrooms Across Canada

This week marks the second-annual Canadian Agriculture Literacy week (CALW). Students in classrooms across the country will engage in activities to both learn and celebrate agriculture through a number of activities including – reading, watching videos and classroom visits from farmers and others involved in agriculture.

Increasing ag literacy in the classroom will help further students’ knowledge and interest in agriculture. The fundamental goal is to enhance children’s understanding of agriculture, while providing them with the opportunity to have a platform to engage and discuss agri-food topics.

Many provinces across the country are taking on a leadership role to bring agriculture literacy into the classroom. For example, Ontario Agri-Food Education Inc. (OAFE) will be delivering programs in over 60 elementary and secondary schools across the province. OAFE is also partnering up with young agricultural leaders, like 4-H ambassadors to help deliver the program material in secondary schools.

This initiative is made possible through the support of Farm Credit Canada

Video: Season 6, Episode 12: Veterinarians’ Perspectives on Managing Swine Herd Health Across All Phases

Identifying challenges in swine production and turning them into solutions through research and team development is the focus of this episode. Dr. Christine Mainquist-Whigham of Pillen Family Farms and DNA Genetics shares insights on herd health, biosecurity and trial work to improve pig performance. She also discusses her team’s research philosophy, how they evaluate rate of investment and how they gather feedback from employees to address challenges and maintain herd health across all phases of production. Dr. Carlos Roudergue of Country View Family Farms discusses the growing complexity of swine production, especially as technology increases and employee interaction decreases. He also shares how their workforce is shifting toward more specialized roles to support herd health and efficiency.