By SHELLY STRAUTZ-SPRINGBORN
Michigan Correspondent

LANSING, Mich. — Michigan Farm Bureau is engaging third-graders across the state in a contest to raise awareness about farming during National Agriculture Week.

For the seventh year, the state’s largest farm organization is conducting a poster contest that challenges third-graders to draw posters illustrating an agricultural theme. The winner of this year’s contest, based on the theme “I Spy a Caring Farmer,” will be announced during National Agriculture Week.

MFB’s Manager of Promotion and Education Deb Schmucker said the contest is aimed at educating youths about agriculture – the state’s second largest industry.

“We do it as an opportunity to bring awareness to agriculture and the importance of how agriculture affects the lives of children,” Schmucker said. “We hope that the parents of these children will have the opportunity to open their minds up to agriculture as well.”
The poster contest is one of many activities Michigan Farm Bureau’s Promotion and Education Department takes to the public in partnership with its county Farm Bureau volunteers.

Schmucker said Farm Bureau works to build on the lessons taught through the poster contest by helping teachers incorporate Ag in the Classroom lessons in their curriculum.

“This is one of the activities we have that helps open the door for our volunteers to get into classrooms,” Schmucker said. “We encourage them to share our curriculum CD and lesson plans with teachers.”

Montcalm County Farm Bureau has participated in the poster contest since it started seven years ago.

This year, members of the county’s Promotion and Education Committee gathered in late February to select their local winner so the poster could be sent to Michigan Farm Bureau for the state contest. Committee Chairwoman Cheryl Strautz said the group considered nearly 200 entries from area third-graders.

“We had a lot of great posters,” Strautz said. “We liked the diversity of entries and the fact that the kids really seemed to understand the ‘I Spy a Caring Farmer’ theme. It was great to see all of the involvement, especially since there aren’t that many farm kids left in our area.

“So many kids don’t know where milk or corn comes from,” she said. “It’s important that they start learning about farming at a young age since it’s the No. 1 industry in our county.”
Locally, Montcalm County Farm Bureau rewards its best overall classroom entries with a pizza party.

“It’s one more opportunity for us to get into the classroom and teach kids about agriculture. It’s fun to talk with them about the ingredients on their pizza and watch them as they realize that everything they are eating originated on a farm,” she said.

All Montcalm County third-graders who entered a poster receive a goody bag from the local Farm Bureau that includes a variety of agricultural commodities, a farm facts activity book and several other agriculturally-themed items.

The state contest winner will receive a $100 savings bond. Second and third place recipients will receive a $50 savings bond. The top three state-level finishers will also have their posters published in a 2010 issue of Michigan Farm News, the farm organization’s newspaper.