October has been declared Farm to School Month in Michigan by Gov. Whitmer. The proclamation highlights the connection between Michigan’s agriculture industry and school lunches. This announcement enhances Michigan Farm Bureau’s Agriculture in the Classroom Program that’s been spreading this message since 2017.
“It was exciting to see this come out and knowing we’re ahead of the game with the FARM Science Lab Program,” says Michelle Blodgett, manager of Michigan Agriculture in the Classroom.
The FARM Science Lab is a 40-foot traveling classroom that visits communities in both peninsulas, teaching kids from kindergarten through fifth grade where their food comes from.
“Since 2017 when we started, we’ve had almost 47,000 students through the lab itself and almost 2,000 educators,” says Blodgett. “Being not only a manager of the program but also going in and teaching in the lab and working in communities across the state, the response has been overwhelming from the teachers and the students.”
It’s also a way to highlight the diverse crops Michigan farmers grow.
“Talking to the kids about being some of the top producers in the nation for things beyond corn and soybeans, whether it’s pickling cucumbers or tart cherries and understanding where in Michigan those are grown,” says Blodgett. “Through the FARM Science Lab, we’re able to educate these students, but we’re also including a lot of conversational pieces these kids can take home and talk to their parents about the importance and nutritional value behind agriculture in Michigan.”
Michigan Ag in the Classroom offers lesson plans for students from kindergarten to sixth grade. For more information, click here.
