Farmer visits school to discuss concerning reference to ag in textbook

Oct 27, 2017

Study material referred to aerial pesticide applications as ‘carpet bombing’

By Diego Flammini
News Reporter
Farms.com

A cash crop producer from Bruce County visited his son’s school after seeing a misrepresentation of agriculture in an eighth-grade textbook.

Crosby Devitt, who’s also vice-president of Grain Farmers of Ontario (GFO), saw the term “carpet bombing” used to describe aerial pesticide use in a chapter about patterns in human geography.

The textbook’s captions also said that “large-scale, highly mechanized agribusiness may not be the most beneficial way to farm in all parts of the world.”

The class isn’t currently studying that particular chapter of the textbook and the teacher was unaware of the terminology in the book, according to Devitt. But this example shows educators need more up-to-date material, he said.

Shocked by the anti-farming content in my son's grade 8 geography textbook. They call pesticide use 'carpet bombing' & claim organic better pic.twitter.com/pUXBDtBNgT
— Crosby Devitt (@crosbydevitt) October 20, 2017

“One of the challenges she expressed as a grade 8 teacher is having good resources available on subjects like this,” he told Farms.com today. “The textbook is from 2000, so having up-to-date resources can be a challenge sometimes, too.

“I wasn’t there to confront her or anything. Teaching is difficult and teachers use the materials they’re given.”

The meeting opened up the opportunity for Devitt to speak to the class about agriculture once they reach that part of their lesson.

And he was able to introduce the teacher, who doesn’t have an agricultural background, to resources through GFO and other organizations that can help her teach ag-related lessons accurately.

“We have a teacher’s kit they can order from GFO,” he said. “We send them seed cups and other items and the kids grow one soybean plant each. For the last few years, we’ve sent out about 10,000 of these kits annually. Kids can kind of connect it to growing things in a garden. Farmers just do that on a larger scale.”

Parents should also see Devitt’s experiences as a reminder to periodically look through their child’s textbooks to see what they’re learning, he said.

And legislators might be considering revisions to Ontario’s curriculum.

Jeff Leal, Ontario Minister of Agriculture, said during Monday’s question period that he has been speaking with Mitzie Hunter, Ontario’s Minister of Education, about a possible provincial curriculum review that would include agriculture.

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