Programs brings students to farms virtually

This fall, young students across Texas can virtually visit farms and ranches from their classrooms, thanks to a new Texas Farm Bureau (TFB) program.

TFB’s Farm from School program aims to connect kindergarten through third-grade students with farmers and ranchers to see and learn first-hand where and how food is grown and raised.

“The goal of the program is for students to see how diverse agriculture is through live visits to farms and ranches across the state,” Booker Young, Bandera County Farm Bureau president, said. “It’s sometimes difficult for schools to arrange field trips, so we’re bringing the farm to the classroom.”

The information connects to the gradelevel concepts students are learning in the classroom, and it’s fun and engaging, Booker said.

“The program launched for the first time in the spring, and students across the state truly enjoyed learning from and interacting with the farmers and ranchers each month,” said Jordan Walker, TFB associate director of Organization, Educational Outreach. “The feedback we received showed that students were able to relate the agricultural information to concepts they were learning in the classroom, and that’s what we want— for students to have a better understanding of agriculture and how it applies to what they learn in the classroom and other parts of their daily lives.”

Classrooms will connect virtually with the farmers and ranchers once a month from September through December. The visits will be live, and student questions can be submitted via the chat function on the virtual platform during the visits.

Throughout the semester, students will participate in lessons incorporating agriculture. TFB will provide activity booklets, TEKS-aligned lessons, and other companion resources.

Public, private and homeschool educators who teach kindergarten through third grade are eligible to participate and can sign up on TFB’s Ag in the Classroom webpage at https://texasfarmbureau.org/aitc. Sign up closes Sept. 3 for the fall semester.

Additional details about the program are also available on the webpage.

Contact TFB’s Educational Outreach team with questions at edoutreach@txfb. org or call 254-751-2569.