For many of Colorado’s children and their families, there’s a disconnect between food and farming.
“Kids are three or four generations removed from the land,” says Bette Blinde, executive director of the Colorado Foundation for Agriculture. CFA encourages educators to use agriculture as a theme to teach academic subjects and to help children understand where their food and fibers come from. “One of our goals is to expose students to agricultural business so they can consider selecting a career in agriculture,” says Blinde.
“When you get the teachers excited about agriculture they carry that excitement through to their students,” Bette Blinde.
During the group’s week-long Food, Fiber & More Summer Agriculture Institute, as many as 50 educators with little to no agricultural background visit farming and ranching operations, see technology and career opportunities, and experience food and fiber production. “When you get the teachers excited about agriculture they carry that excitement through to their students,” says Blinde.
CFA also provides agricultural teaching resources to educators. During its 21-year history, CFA has distributed more than 7 million copies of its Colorado Reader series, featuring more than 200 agricultural and natural resource topics.
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