Field trips, end of year testing and award banquets mark the exciting end to another school year for Missouri elementary students. Many students will soon be participating in summer school programs to build on knowledge and skills learned during the school year. In a growing number of elementary schools, summer school enrichment includes hosting Agriculture Education on the Move™ (Ag Moves) in third grade summer classes across Missouri.
Agriculture Education on the Move™ (Ag Moves) is a 10-week, hands-on education program introducing third grade students to where their food comes from and how agriculture affects their daily lives. The program meets key classroom objectives and standards in the areas of science, math, reading and writing.
Missouri third graders hurriedly clear their desks each day when it’s time for their Ag Moves lesson. As the papers and pencils get put away, excited students keep an eye on the guest presenter and echo the question, “What are we going to do today?” Each of the ten lessons covers new topics relevant to agriculture, while hands-on activities bring each Ag Moves lesson to life in a fun way. Whether creating soybean germination necklaces, making homemade butter, or building supply chain models for their favorite snack, the students know they’re always in for fun. Third graders and their teachers are often surprised how much fun they have learning about the world around them through Missouri agriculture.
Ag Moves is taught in the summer, fall and spring statewide by Ag Moves educators, FFA partners and college interns. FFA partner educators are high school students, actively involved in their local chapter. Educators are provided with Ag Moves training, curriculum, and supplies, then teach in their local elementary classrooms. In 2023, 525 FFA members from 92 chapters served as partner educators. Ag Moves is free of charge to participating schools thanks to the support of Missouri Farmers Care and its members, including FCS Financial. The program is experiencing exponential growth, reaching over 10,000 elementary students last year alone.
While Ag Moves builds fundamental agricultural literacy in elementary students, it also builds teaching skills and experience in the next generation of teachers. Through partnerships with colleges of agriculture, collegiate agriculture education students host training days for high school FFA student educators. The college students gain practical classroom experience as they master Ag Moves curriculum, then mentor FFA student educators to effectively deliver lessons to elementary students. Many of these college students then join Ag Move’s robust internship program, teaching Ag Moves lessons in summer classes and gaining additional classroom experience. This summer, 25 college students across the state are taking advantage of the opportunity to teach through Ag Moves, reaching thousands of elementary students with the program.
This multi-tiered approach to bringing Ag Moves to classrooms multiplies the program’s impact. Students teaching students, gaining experience at the high school level, collegiate level, and carrying that experience into professional careers in agricultural education is where the program goes far beyond just reaching third graders. In addition, students take home information for their parents, sharing the agriculture lessons learned in the classroom at home.
Ag Moves is funded through Missouri Farmers Care, a coalition of more than 40 Missouri agriculture groups. Missouri soybean farmers and their checkoff and the MFA Oil Foundation support the program, along with contributions from Missouri Corn Merchandising Council, FCS Financial, MFA Incorporated, Missouri Beef Industry Council and the Missouri Fertilizer Control Board. To find out more or to help invite the program into your school, visit www.agmoves.com. You can follow the program’s efforts at: https://www.facebook.com/AgEducationMoves/ to see the smiling faces of Missouri children as they learn valuable lessons about the importance of agriculture in their daily lives.
Students at Rockbridge Elementary in Columbia, MO show their student workbooks and soybean germination necklaces with 2023 college educator, Gabby Rohrbach from California, MO.
Students at Perryville Elementary School in Perryville, MO had the opportunity to meet 2023 college educator Emma Roth's heifer as a special surprise following their Ag Moves beef lesson. Emma is an Agricultural Education major at Mizzou, from Perryville, MO.
Emily Hoyt, 2023 college intern from Martinsburg, MO shares the beef lesson with one of her summer classrooms in Columbia, MO. Emily served as a FFA partner educator in high school, which inspired her to stay involved with Ag Moves while she pursues a degree in Agricultural Education at Mizzou.
