Mar 18, 2022 2 min read

A statewide initiative geared toward educating young students about where their food comes from was recognized this week in Greene County.

The commissioners designated March 14-18 Pennsylvania Ag Literacy Week, an initiative from the Pennsylvania Friends of Agriculture Foundation the connects volunteers from the agricultural community to local classrooms so they can share the story of agriculture.

Throughout the week, volunteers across the state were asked to read a book in kindergarten through second grade classrooms, with the hope of starting a discussion with students. Volunteers were also encouraged to share their own story about farming or their connections to agriculture.

The book is then donated to the classroom teacher along with educational activities and resources to use throughout the school year.

This year’s Ag Literacy Week book of the year, “My Family’s Soybean Farm,” details the day-to-day activities of a farm family through eyes of Alexander. Throughout the book, readers learn about how plants grow, what nutrients they need and how they are harvested.

Readers also get insights into how farmers care for their land, and what has changed in farming thanks to modern technology.

Commissioner Mike Belding said initiatives like Pennsylvania Ag Literacy Week are important for rural areas like Greene County.

“There a lot of young people throughout the United States who don’t know where their food comes from, so it is vital that our youths be exposed to the importance of agriculture at a young age,” he said.

Ami Cree of Cree Dairy Farm and George Scull, a member of the Greene County Farm Bureau, accepted a proclamation from the commissioners about the initiative earlier this month.