March roars in with Canadian Agriculture Literacy Month

Mar 02, 2023

Canadian youth invited to dig into agriculture education throughout the month of March

By Haley Bilokraly
Farms.com Intern

March 2023 is the 12th annual Canadian Agriculture Literacy Month (CALM)

CALM provides students, from kindergarten to Grade 12, the opportunity to learn, understand, and appreciate Canadian agriculture through various activities in and out of the classroom.

This initiative was started in 2011 by Agriculture in the Classroom Canada and has since been inspiring youth from coast to coast to learn more about agriculture and the way their food gets to the table.

From planting seed kits to discovering careers in agriculture, CALM inspires a wide variety of hands-on lessons for every student regardless of their grade level. Additionally, the wide-spread impact that agriculture has on the daily life of a Canadian makes it a great topic to be explored in every subject, starting in the science lab and extending all the way to art class.

Most programs and events during CALM differs between provinces and schools; however, Agriculture in the Classroom Canada has organized the Great Canadian Farm Tour for all students in Canada. This month-long event takes students on 11 virtual farm tours to visit farms of various sizes and types including: dairy, maple syrup, vermicomposting, beef, sugar beet, pork, aquaculture, and more.

For more information about CALM events in your area, visit https://aitc-canada.ca/en-ca/resources-programs/canadian-agriculture-literacy-month

Video: A chain harrow is a game changer

Utilizing a rotational grazing method on our farmstead with our sheep helps to let the pasture/paddocks rest. We also just invested in a chain harrow to allow us to drag the paddocks our sheep just left to break up and spread their manure around, dethatch thicker grass areas, and to rough up bare dirt areas to all for a better seed to soil contact if we overseed that paddock. This was our first time really using the chain harrow besides initially testing it out. We are very impressed with the work it did and how and area that was majority dirt, could be roughed up before reseeding.

Did you know we also operate a small business on the homestead. We make homemade, handcrafted soaps, shampoo bars, hair and beard products in addition to offering our pasture raised pork, lamb, and 100% raw honey. You can find out more about our products and ingredients by visiting our website at www.mimiandpoppysplace.com. There you can shop our products and sign up for our monthly newsletter that highlights a soap or ingredient, gives monthly updates about the homestead, and also lists the markets, festivals, and events we’ll be attending that month.