Agriculture In the Classroom: Connecting Nebraska Students with Agriculture

In today’s world, many students have little to no direct connection to agriculture, even though they eat and use a wide variety of agricultural products every day. Even those who live in cities and towns surrounded by cornfields may not understand how essential agriculture is to their food, fuel and way of life.

The Agriculture in the Classroom program addresses this gap by offering engaging agricultural literacy programming, teacher resources and classroom tools that help students understand the vital role Nebraska agriculture plays in their daily lives. The initiative, which impacts an estimated 35,000 students each year, is managed in the state by the Nebraska Farm Bureau Foundation with the help of partners such as the Nebraska Corn Board.

“[We let students know] it is people just like them that are growing and raising the food, fiber and fuel that contribute to their lives every day. So, we help them put a human face to agriculture,” said Megahn Schafer, executive director of the h “The second thing is, no matter where you live, no matter what job you have, when agriculture is strong, communities and families are more successful.”

How Does Agriculture in the Classroom Reach Students

Created by the United States Department of Agriculture more than 30 years ago, Agriculture in The Classroom connects students with farmers, ranchers and others within the agriculture industry while also supporting grade-specific curriculum standards.

Nebraska Agriculture in the Classroom equips teachers with knowledge and teaching materials to incorporate into their classwork. Agriculture in the Classroom staff educators also conduct lessons in classrooms.

Every agricultural literacy tool provided to teachers aligns with Nebraska Department of Education content area standards in subjects such as math, English, social studies and science. The goal is for Agriculture in the Classroom lessons to be an asset to teachers, Schafer said.

“We don’t go in and say to teachers, ‘You need to add this extra thing to your already busy day.’ We go in and say, ‘We know you have to teach this concept. We’ve got professionally designed lessons to support teaching that concept using the rich context of Nebraska agriculture as a teaching tool.'”

What Type of Programs Does Agriculture in the Classroom Provide

Agriculture in the Classroom provides enrichment for K-12, but Schafer said the strongest focus is pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. The program offers four classroom lessons for each grade level. Each lesson includes a hands-on activity.

Agriculture in the classroom activities for younger students focus on awareness: what farms are, who farmers and ranchers are and what they do. Older students learn about more complex subjects such as international trade, the economy and agricultural jobs.

In addition to providing instruction and teaching materials, the initiative offers several other agriculture programs for students such as summer programming, agriculture reading hour and ag pen pals. During reading hours, members of the agriculture industry read a book to a classroom, do an activity with the students and then donate the book to the classroom. In 2024, 3,500 students participated in summer programming and 2,500 students were part of the ag pen pal program!

Teacher Training

In addition to teaching students about agriculture, Agriculture in the Classroom offers training for teachers. In 2024, the program’s four professional educators presented workshops to 500 teachers and future teachers showing how to incorporate agriculture into their classrooms. They also host teacher learning opportunities that can include field trips. In 2024, an educational event for family and consumer science teachers about beef included several in-person experiences for the educators.

“They went to a feed lot, they saw a cow-calf operation, they went to a processor, and then we spent the rest of the day on a farm near Fremont talking about nutrition, recipes and how beef can be part of a healthy diet,” Schafer said.

Opportunities like this enable teachers who may not have experienced this to see firsthand and provide an understanding of agriculture to their students throughout the year, in addition to Agriculture in the Classroom educational lessons.

Nebraska Agriculture in the Classroom Champions

Nebraska Agriculture in the Classroom recognizes teachers who go above and beyond in emphasizing the importance of agriculture to students with the Nebraska Agriculture in the Classroom Champions awards. Presented by the Nebraska Corn Board, the program rewards teachers who fulfill six items from grade-specific agricultural classroom activities provided by Agriculture in the Classroom. Teachers can win resources for their classrooms and other prizes.

The partnership with the Nebraska Corn Board is just one of the many connections that are vital to the success of the program, which also is supported by the National Agriculture in the Classroom organization. The state program also works with several ag-related leadership organizations, including FFA and 4-H.

What Are the Benefits of Teaching Students About Agriculture?

In addition to informing students about agriculture and how it impacts their daily lives, Agriculture in the Classroom aims to encourage appreciation for what farmers and ranchers provide.

“We have access to the most abundant, nutritious and affordable food in the entire world, and we don’t want people to only know that if that changes,” Schafer said. “We want them to know now.”

That’s definitely the case when it comes to teaching students about corn farming. Cor specific lessons and activities focus on how the versatile crop provides food, fiber and fuel.

“When we talk to all of the different ages about corn, we talk about how it feeds livestock, it contributes to the meat that we eat every day [and] it contributes to ethanol,” she said.

Agriculture in the Classroom is also a valuable tool for showing students the opportunity in ag-related employment fields. Many don’t realize how many jobs in agriculture exist, and how those positions could be a good fit for their interests and skills, Schafer said.

“We also want people to know that the agriculture industry wants and needs the best and brightest minds, and that there are jobs available,” she said.

H2: How Has Agriculture in the Classroom Changed Over Time?

Agriculture in the Classroom has evolved over time to fit the needs of teachers and the evolving face of agriculture in the state. In recent years, Schafer said that includes moving toward creating multiple lessons into a classroom each year, rather than one-time learning opportunities. That’s why materials provided to teachers now include four lessons per year for each grade level. The program also continues to focus on tailoring programming toward subjects where teachers identify a particular need, such as reading, and on strengthening the program in all areas of the state.

How to Get Involved with Agriculture in the Classroom

There are many ways to get involved with Nebraska Agriculture in the Classroom, whether it’s reading a book to students during Agriculture Reading Hour, corresponding with a classroom in the Ag Pen Pals Program or helping celebrate National Ag Day. Schafer said the best way to learn more about how to be involved is to visit the Nebraska Farm Bureau Foundation website.