Visit to Lincoln Elementary School

Friday morning area farmer Brent Fuchs and I visited the third grade classes at Lincoln Elementary school in Faribault. We had a presentation with two classes for an hour and then the other two classes the next hour. As we always do, the presentation begins with corn, soybeans and how we plant and harvest the crop. Then we relate corn and soybeans to all the food items that the kids recognize from the grocery store.

While our presentations are all pretty much the same each one is different too. It depends on how the third graders respond and the questions they ask. Friday during the visit Brent asked what was for lunch. It was pizza so the cheese and sausage we related back to cows and pigs that eat corn and soybean meal. Then I said maybe it would be better is we did not have farmers, then they would not have to waste their time eating lunch. They could study and do homework instead, just think how much more they could learn!

Until Friday every response has been the same, a chorus of all the third graders saying no, that would not be a good idea! On Friday all the third graders said no which was the usual response. However, then one of the third graders said we can't study and learn without food and good nutrition! I think we got the message to the third graders that if you want to eat you need a farmer!