(Students from South Carleton High School in Richmond were invited to experience in person the Agriculture in the Classroom Canada program from the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, the Honourable Marie-Claude Bideau on March 23, 2023. The students participating were escorted by their teacher Sharon Meier and are: William Puncher, Bryson Lynch, William Slater, Liam Mooney, Laura Ermuth, Allison Mayda, Clara Tanner, Sarah Hamilton, Mackenzie Colpitts, Muhammad Salam-Alada, Jamie Koch, Hudson Kosloski, Tristan Easton, Jackson Mapleston, Jemima Omakor. Ethan Bezuruchak was missing from the photos. Photos: Teresa Krasnichuk-Stittsville Central)
On March 23rd, Ottawa’s Agriculture and Food Museum played backdrop for an announcement made by the Honourable Marie-Claude Bideau, the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, about the new funding for the Agriculture in the Classroom Canada (AITC-C) program (I Am Agriculture). The Minister was joined by Kerry-Leigh Burchill, Director General of the Canada Agriculture and Food Museum, and by Mathieu Rouleau, Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors of Agriculture in the Classroom Canada and Founding President of École-O-Champ. This announcement was made to a group of grade 11 South Carleton High School students who were lucky enough to experience the AITC-C program firsthand.
Agriculture in the Classroom
The AITC-C program started in 2016, intending to raise awareness among the new generation in hopes that they will be interested in continuing the proud tradition of Canadian farming. The program is trying to break the preconceived notions that many people carry about how the farming industry works. The current industry is a marriage between manual labour and technology, with technology being a significant element in present-day farming.
New Funding
The AITC-C will receive over $953,260 over the next two years. Part of this funding will be used in the new I Am Agriculture digital campaign. The campaign allows classrooms to visit farms from coast to coast virtually to inform and excite. Students will be able to ask questions and create a deeper understanding of Canadian’s food supply chain. AITC-C wants to demonstrate the vastness of the agriculture industry and show students the various and unique roles within the industry.
The Honourable Marie-Claude Bideau believes that “Young people are key to ensuring future success of the agricultural sector. We must help them discover vast career possibilities from a young age. I applaud the incredible work that Agriculture in the Classroom is doing to connect tomorrow’s leaders to the agriculture and agri-food sector and spark interest in this important work.”
Student Tour
After the announcements, the South Carleton High School students were treated to a tour of the working dairy farm at the Agriculture and Food Museum. The tour would be an example of the virtual tours other students would experience with the I Am Agriculture program. The students were brought into the Dairy Barn to meet the heifers and were told about the different processes involved in running a dairy farm.
The kids were engrossed in what was being said; some asked questions and showed interest in the process, while others were respectful and listened. After, the students were led into the attached barn where the calves were housed. During the tour, you could see the kids engaged with the instruction and saw firsthand how the AITC-C could be effective. If the same talk were given as a lecture from their teacher, it would probably not have held the teenager’s attention in the same way.
Only time will tell if the AITC-C will be enough to engage students and prompt them to seek farming as a career.
For more information on Agriculture in the Classroom, check out aitc-canada.ca
Or, if you wanted to check out the Agriculture and Food Museum for yourselves, visit their website at ingeniumcanada.org