Educating Our Students on Missouri’s Most Important Industry
The summer is quickly coming to an end, and many Missouri students are already returning to school. I want to wish all the students, teachers and faculty heading back to the classroom the best of luck during the upcoming school year. I know there are many great things in store for our students over the course of the current year, but next year marks the beginning of a new program that is close to my heart.
Passed during the 2019 legislative session, House Bill 604 authorizes the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to establish a pilot program promoting agriculture education in elementary schools beginning in the 2020-2021 school year. I believe this sort of program is incredibly important. As chair of the Senate’s Agriculture, Food Production and Outdoor Resources Committee, I understand the value of our state’s most important industry. Agriculture contributes $88 billion to our state’s economy and employs nearly 400,000 people across the state. Missouri is blessed with some of the best farmland in the world, making us a national leader in key areas like beef cow, rice, hay, hog and soybean production as well as many others.
Unfortunately, many Americans don’t seem to have a clear understanding of what the agriculture industry does or where their food comes from. For example, a study from the Department of Agriculture found 1 in 5 Americans didn’t know that hamburgers are made from beef. Research by the nonprofit group FoodCorps found half of fourth-, fifth- and sixth-graders in a California school didn’t know onions or lettuce were plants, and a third didn’t realize that cheese came from milk. Lastly, the Innovation Center of U.S. Diary found that 16.4 million Americans believe chocolate milk comes from brown cows. This, if you pardon the pun, is just “udder nonsense.”
There’s obviously a disconnect between Americans and the industry that feeds them, and it’s not hard to see why. One simple reason is that most Americans simply lack exposure to agriculture. After all, most Americans aren’t farmers and don’t live on farms. It’s estimated that less than two percent of America’s population works in agriculture. Despite fewer people being involved in agriculture today, our students still need to learn about this important and diverse industry that feeds not only them, but people around the world too.
Our schools must provide our students with the understanding and appreciation for the food and resources they may often take for granted. I believe a clear understanding of where their food comes from is just as important as knowing math and being able to read and write. It sets up students to make informed choices and better understand the world around them. The pilot programs established in HB 604 is a step in the right direction and moves us closer to strengthening ag education across the state. And who knows? By educating our children on the importance of agriculture early in their lives, we may just spark an interest that turns into a lifelong passion.
Please feel free to contact my office at (573) 751-2076. For information about my committee assignments or sponsored legislation, please visit my official Missouri Senate website at senate.mo.gov/Bernskoetter.