New STEMterprise Educational Program Brings Agriculture to Ontario Classrooms

Aug 23, 2023

Guelph, Ont. – Good in Every Grain, the public outreach campaign from Grain Farmers of Ontario today launches an award-winning science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) program for Ontario Grade 3 classrooms.

Good in Every Grain’s Ontario Farming STEMterprise is a unique teaching resource based on Ontario grain farming in coordination with the Ontario elementary school curriculum. The Farming STEMterprise program created by the National Farmers Union United Kingdom (NFU U.K.) brings agriculture into the classroom in a fun and exciting way for students and teachers alike.

“Supporting teachers is a huge priority for us. We know how much work is being done to help Ontario’s children grow and learn. We also recognize that teaching agriculture can be daunting if you are not a farmer or working in the industry. STEMterprise is a great program for aligning agricultural knowledge and experiences with the current teaching curriculum. We hope students enjoy this 10-week program and feel more connected to their food and farming,” says Victoria Berry, Manager, Communications, Grain Farmers of Ontario.

The program meets the Ontario curriculum requirements in several subject areas, including Science and Technology, Health and Physical Education, Engineering, Language, and Math, in 10 stages of weekly lessons and activities. Lesson plans use several skill sets as they lead students through growing grain seeds in their classroom, conducting a market survey of existing granola bars, creating their own nutritious granola bars to meet consumer, or other students, needs, marketing, designing sustainable packaging and selling their product at a “farm store.”

This program, offered at no cost to Ontario teachers, will allow students to learn where their food comes from, how food gets from field to fork, and how farmers protect the environment while meeting the increasing demand for food. Students will also develop business, entrepreneurship, and sales skills as they create a classroom bake sale with their granola bar businesses.

Good in Every Grain is excited to launch this program and bring the importance of agriculture back into classrooms, one grain at a time. Ontario Farming STEMterprise materials can be found for download at https://goodineverygrain.ca/ontario-farming-stemterprise/.

Source : GFO

Video: Dicamba Returns for Georgia Farmers: What the New EPA Ruling Means for Cotton Growers

After being unavailable in 2024 due to registration issues, dicamba products are returning for Georgia farmers this growing season — but under strict new conditions.

In this report from Tifton, Extension Weed Specialist Stanley Culpepper explains the updated EPA ruling, including new application limits, mandatory training requirements, and the need for a restricted use pesticide license. Among the key changes: a cap of two ½-pound applications per year and the required use of an approved volatility reduction agent with every application.

For Georgia cotton producers, the ruling is significant. According to Taylor Sills with the Georgia Cotton Commission, the vast majority of cotton planted in the state carries the dicamba-tolerant trait — meaning farmers had been paying for technology they couldn’t use.

While environmental groups have expressed concerns over spray drift, Georgia growers have reduced off-target pesticide movement by more than 91% over the past decade. Still, this two-year registration period will come with increased scrutiny, making stewardship and compliance more important than ever.