The third-grade students at Caldwell County Elementary School are learning more about the agriculture industry and what local farmers are producing to provide them with food and other products that they use every day.
This is thanks to the annual Farm to Plate program sponsored by the local high school FFA Chapter. The entire third-grade class is divided into half with each half spending the day learning about agriculture. One day, the students will have guest speakers and activities in the classroom, while the other half will board buses and travel to the Food Giant to see the food products in their final stage as they are sold to customers. They will then travel to the Roberts Farm located in Caldwell County to see actual farming equipment and be shown how the farmers operate and process the farm products. The classroom instruction includes learning about soybeans and soy products and how they are used, learning about the fields and soil and how they are used to grow food products, seeing a tractor and hearing about how it operates, and then racing pedal tractors. Local FFA members are at each station to share and explain how each product is used to provide for the students and their families. FFA member J D Slaughter shared about the purpose of explaining the tractor.
click to download audioFFA member Cole Wyatt described the tractors the students will be seeing at their station.
click to download audioBecky Winder from the Soybean Association told about the many uses of soybeans, including how they are used for crayons.
click to download audioShe also noted soybeans were used as food for humans as well as other products.
click to download audioWilder said soybeans are used for things you may not realize, including shoes and tires.
click to download audioThird grader John Barley Prince told about his favorite part of the day, and he learned about some uses of soybeans.
click to download audioThird grader Cannon Wynn shared his favorite thing about the day.
click to download audioThe Caldwell County FFA hopes the program will help the students know more about farming as they travel down the road and see the crops and animals in the fields.
