How to Teach Your Kids (and Yourself) about Agriculture

This post is aimed mainly at city folks, but I'm sure farm parents will find one or two ideas here that they had not already thought about.  Also note that I am neither a parent, nor an educator, but am merely a farmer who has done a tiny bit of work to help teach my urban relatives a little about agriculture.  Most of the ideas presented here came to me while on the seat of a combine or tractor.

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Have you ever thought, "I wish I knew where to turn to teach my kids (and myself) more about where our food comes from?"  You're in luck!  Today I would like to share a few ideas that you can use to teach your family about agriculture.

1. Visit an Agricultural Museum

In Alberta and other parts of the prairies, we have a rich agricultural history which has helped to shape our culture.  There are a variety of museums and parks that showcase this history.  Some even have family-friendly demonstrations at certain times of the year (haying, harvest, etc.).  Keep in mind that these generally showcase where agriculture has been, not where we currently are or where we are heading.  Still, the history is really neat!

The following is an incomplete list of parks and museums within Alberta that showcase a bit of our agricultural history:

• Reynolds-Alberta Museum (Wetaskiwin)
• ALES Museum at the University of Alberta (Edmonton)
• Fort Edmonton Park (Edmonton)
• Canadian Tractor Museum (Westlock)
• Prairie Tractor Museum (Picture Butte)
• Brownvale North Peace Agricultural Museum (Brownvale)
• Call of the West Museum (High River)
• Pioneer Thresherman's Museum (High Prairie)
• St. Albert Grain Elevator Park (St. Albert)
• Canadian Grain Elevator Discovery Centre (Nanton)

2. Play the Farming Game

Yes, this is a real board game.  It is called "The Farming Game."  Some people have likened it to Monopoly, but it is quite unique.  While it is highly simplified, it can teach basic concepts about the seasons to which farmers must pay attention (there are more than four!), the volatility of markets and weather, and the various choices a farmer needs to make in order to be successful.  My sister and I used to play this game for hours on end as teenagers and even made up our own rules to make it go on longer!

There are also various farm-themed games you can play on a phone or tablet, but I like board games for family-centered learning.

3. Participate in Alberta Open Farm Days

Every year, for one weekend in August, farms across Alberta open up to allow visitors to come and see what farming is all about.  There are various activities, tours, and culinary events that families can attend to learn more about where their food comes from and to talk to the people who produce it.

To learn more, find out which farms near you are open, and to plan your weekend of fun-filled learning, you can visit the Alberta Open Farm Days website.

If you live outside of Alberta, I believe that there are similar weekends in most of the other provinces.

I had the opportunity to talk about feed grain during Alberta Open Farm Days 2017. Photo Credit: Neil Rysavy

4. Visit a Farm

If you don't know a farmer, this can be tricky, but it is a great way to learn directly from the farmer about what happens on a farm.  When approached by someone who truly wants to learn, most farmers are willing to answer any questions you may have, or to direct you to someone who can answer them better (for example, a beef farmer may not be comfortable answering questions about egg production).

For those of you who know a farmer, go ahead and ask if you can bring your family out to the farm for a day to see what goes on.  Just keep in mind that the farmer may put you off for a while if he is in the middle of a busy season.  Busy seasons are not the best time to visit a farm because the farmer is stressed, racing against time, and probably sleep-deprived, and because the farm is usually more dangerous at those times (with more machinery running, or animals near the yard).

For those of you who don't know a farmer, you can check the internet for local farmers who sell products directly to their customers, or who have a farm store.  They are used to customers coming to the farm, are likely open to having you visit, and can probably get you in contact with other farmers, as well.  To find such farms in Alberta, you can check the members list of the Alberta Farm Fresh Producers Association.

5. Have Your Child's School Participate in the Classroom Agriculture Program

Suggest that your child's school take advantage of the free Classroom Agriculture Program, which sends volunteers to grade 4 classes across Alberta to give a one-hour presentation to the class, connecting agriculture to their regular curriculum.  I have been one of the volunteers to go to classes and can tell you that it is incredibly fun and the students seem to enjoy it!

6. Use the Internet to Search for Cool Facts

Of course, it is always wise not to use the internet as your number one source of information regarding any topic, but there are some trusted websites you can check out.  You can even look up some cool facts on the internet ahead of time and give your kids a mission to find answers to your questions.  (I just made some top secret missions with links to helpful websites for my cousins' kids).

Some cool things you might learn on the internet include the following:

• What products come from cattle?
• What are the types of farm equipment?
• Where in the world did the different crops originate?
• What is there to know about farm safety?

7. Attend Agricultural Demonstrations

As I mentioned earlier, some museums have demonstrations of antique machinery and old-fashioned harvesting methods.  These can be really interesting to watch.

However, if you are looking for demonstrations of the latest equipment, these exist, too.  Often, equipment dealers with demonstrate some of their latest pieces on a local field (getting a bit of work done for the host farmer, of course).  There are usually coffee and donuts around, too.  To see about attending one of these, stop in at a local ag equipment dealer and ask if they are demonstrating any pieces of equipment soon.  Keep in mind, this only happens during the spring/summer/fall months, which in Alberta is only about half of the year.

8. Attend a Fair or Farm Show

Most counties have a fair every summer and each fair will have varying degrees of agricultural activities for attendees to enjoy.

There are also large farm shows, such as Agri-Trade in Red Deer and Farmfair International in Edmonton, both of which occur in November each year.  These may include livestock shows, equipment and technology demonstrations, and various booths from a plethora of ag-related companies.

9. Plant a Garden

Dig up a bit of that lawn you hate to mow or rent a plot in the local community garden and get planting!  Planting a garden can teach your kids about how plants grow, as well as the work that goes into keeping them alive.  They will learn how to distinguish crop plants from weeds, how to give just the right amount of water, and how to enjoy a bountiful harvest.  They may also learn that the weather sometimes destroys crops.  Be prepared for that.

In addition to planting the garden, you can also work together to learn about the uses of the crops you have planted, how to harvest and store the crops, and how to identify and control pests and diseases associated with each crop.

10. Participate in a County Ag Service Board Tour

Many counties have what is known as an Ag Service Board.  The Ag Service Board does research, provides information and equipment to local farmers, and does a host of other useful things.  Many of them also host an annual one-day tour of various farms, businesses, and research trials in the county.  I have attended several such tours in my home county and usually find that I learn a few new things to take back home with me.  These days are also a great way to visit with local farmers or retired farmers who are also attending the tour.

Younger children may not enjoy such tours, but they can be interesting and fun for adults and teenagers.

11. Read Books that Discuss Current Issues in the Agriculture Industry

There are many children's books that talk about life on the farm (some are more accurate than others).  However, these do not go very deep and children quickly outgrow them.  For older children and adults, there are many books out there that discuss current issues in the agriculture industry.

Reading such books (especially if the authors disagree with one another) can give you an idea of the innate complexity that accompanies all areas of the farm and can give you a richer understanding of current issues.  You may agree with some books and disagree with others.  You may both agree and disagree with an author in the same book, or even on the same page!  These moments of agreement and disagreement are awesome learning experiences if we use them to look at all sides of an issue.

Why not read two or three books together as a family and then discuss the issues the books bring up?  This can be a fun way to keep your kids' minds actively engaged through holiday seasons or summer break.

To get you started, I would like to suggest that you read "The Marvelous Pigness of Pigs" by Joel Salatin and "Seeds of Science" by Mark Lynas.  The perspectives of the authors in these two books are worlds apart, even though they have very similar backgrounds in how they view the world.  I have read both and have found that each book challenged my thinking in very different ways.

12. Read "The Real Dirt on Farming" as a Family

Some absolutely marvelous folks over in Ontario have published several editions of a magazine-type publication called "The Real Dirt on Farming."  You can read it online or order a hard copy.  This booklet is filled with fascinating facts about agriculture!  It also talks about some issues that have people concerned, like the use of hormones and GMOs.  I found this booklet by accident a few days ago and have been fascinated ever since!

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Do you have any ideas of how to teach children and/or adults about agriculture?  Let me know in the comments section below!