Farm Days Teach Kids (and Adults) Where Their Food Comes From

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pumpkin patch at Bottom View Farm in Portland, Tennessee

Bottom View Farm in Portland teaches children about agriculture; Photo credit: Jeff Adkins

There is nothing I find more entertaining than talking to a little one. Conversations with them can often end up being very enlightening. While the honesty of a child can be very refreshing, it can also make you realize just how much their young minds absorb. In today’s world of social media and television, that can be a little scary.

Let me assure you we’re doing what we can to ensure what those young minds are absorbing is for the best, especially when it has to do with where their food, fiber and fuel come from. Our volunteer leaders work tirelessly to visit schools throughout the year and bring learning materials to classrooms and educate kiddos across Tennessee. We also enjoy hosting what we call “farm days,” which is one of my favorite times of the year. Farm days allow children to visit a working farm or volunteers bring the farm to their schools, some for the very first time. I can’t tell you how rewarding it has been for me to see a child’s eyes light up with excitement over getting to see a cow or pig for the first time.

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During a farm day, I might ask the kids, “Where does chocolate milk come from?” Do you know what the most common answer is? Yep, you guessed it. They usually say, “A brown cow!” While their color identification might be on par, their understanding of where milk comes from and what key ingredient makes that brown milk so delicious is a little off.

See more: Bottom View Farm in Portland Teaches Children About Agriculture

These kids are our future, which is why it’s so important to provide the answers they really need. So often we get absorbed in our day and miss our opportunities to educate and give important life lessons. The radio stays on during the car ride to school rather than talking about their day ahead. The television show that can’t be missed that evening instead of reading a book together before bedtime. You know as well as I do, the list goes on. But Deuteronomy 6:5-7 tells us to do differently. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”

Students check on their garden at Silverdale Baptist Academy in Chattanooga; Photo credit: Nathan Lambrecht

Another question asked at farm days is where they can get other food such as corn. The answer most often given is “grocery stores.” While I’m incredibly grateful we live in a country where our food is easily accessible at grocery stores, they should have a true understanding of how it got there.

Even more so, children need the security of knowing where their next meal will come from, but that is not always the case. To combat food insecurity in our state, Tennessee Farm Bureau started Shooting Hunger in partnership with Farm Credit Mid-America and Tennessee Farmers Cooperative. This program allows us to come together to fight hunger in our communities. The first event in 2015 raised enough funds to provide more than 88,000 meals to hungry Tennesseans. Eight years later, Shooting Hunger continues to raise funds and strives to provide 300,000 backpacks full of food to be taken home with children after school – providing food they would not otherwise get.

You may not think you are involved in agriculture and that the future of farming has absolutely nothing to do with you, but the bottom line is if you eat, you’re involved in agriculture.

– Eric Mayberry, Tennessee Farm Bureau President

We also understand agricultural education doesn’t stop with children in the classroom. So, we’re also proud to play a role in educating lawmakers and adults with events like Ag Day on the Hill, an opportunity to educate legislators and lawmakers about the importance of Tennessee’s No. 1 and most important industry – agriculture. It is a chance to let those on Capitol Hill know all that agriculture provides for our state, how we are learning to be more sustainable and feeding more people with less land.

See more: Farm to Classroom: 5 School Supplies That Come From Agriculture

You may not think you are involved in agriculture and that the future of farming has absolutely nothing to do with you, but the bottom line is if you eat, you’re involved in agriculture. The cotton shirt you put on this morning came from agriculture. The football you’ll watch be thrown this Friday night came from agriculture. That spaghetti you had for dinner last night, and yes, that chocolate milk you pour for your sweet children came from agriculture. Life as we know it is a result of the farmer down the road, so remember to say thank you this harvest season. And of course, the next time someone asks where chocolate milk comes from, please don’t say a brown cow.

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