Arizona Teachers See Agriculture Firsthand
Tiffany Selchow, DIRECTOR OF SOCIAL MARKETING AND CONSUMER OUTREACH | August 5, 2021
Arizona teachers were reached with important beef and agriculture messages both virtually and in person with the 31st Arizona Summer Agriculture Institute. Two days of virtual tours and presentations and two days of in-person, drive on your own tours allowed over 60 teachers to learn about Arizona agriculture and how to incorporate agriculture lesson plans into their curriculums. The event is a coordinated effort between Arizona’s agriculture education groups, including the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension and Maricopa Agriculture Center, Arizona Beef Council, Arizona Farm Bureau Federation, Arizona Milk Producers, Arizona State Cowbelles, and the Arizona Departments of Education and Agriculture. Support is also provided by the Arizona Foundation for Agriculture Literacy.
Teachers from 13 of Arizona’s 15 counties heard virtual lectures from University of Arizona staff and professors, Audra Waddle from AZ Queen Bee, and John Boelts from Desert Premium Farms. They also listened to an agriculture sustainability panel discussion, moderated by Arizona Farm Bureau Federation President Stefanie Smallhouse, that included Arizona farmers and Sara Place, Chief Sustainability Officer at Elanco. Teachers who elected to participate during the in-person days traveled to farms and ranches in Maricopa and Yavapai Counties including Danzeisen Dairy, Grand View Dairy, Heiden Land & Cattle, Rosseau Farming Company, and Sunbelt Transplants, Mortimer Farms with presentations by Arizona ranchers Keith Cannon and Tim Peterson, and Yavapai College.
In post-tour surveys, participants shared that they, in spite of the heat, enjoyed learning about agriculture in person. “I never thought I would love hanging out at feedlots and dairy farms in 120° [temperatures], but this was truly an AWESOME day,” wrote one. Others said that their time at the SAI would help them to have deeper discussions with their students. “In order to really teach the importance of farming, you have to get there and see it firsthand,” one wrote.
Ultimately, this tour, whether in person, virtually or both, strives to share facts about Arizona agriculture with teachers who are reaching the youth of today and the decision makers of the future.
“…I really loved being in ‘the thick of things’ with the farmers. It really shows how difficult the agricultural life is and how much these ‘farmers’ do care about how and what is being produced. They showed me that it is not always about the quantity being churned out,” an Arizona educator shared.
The 2021 hybrid tour was held June 14-17. To learn more about SAI and agricultural literacy efforts in Arizona, visit www.azagfoundation.org.