WEST DES MOINES, Iowa – A large mobile classroom – hosted by the Iowa Agriculture Literacy Foundation – has been traveling for the past nine weeks, bringing agricultural education on wheels to an estimated 4,200 students in 45 Iowa schools in 14 of the state’s 99 counties at no cost.

“Agriculture provides real-world context for science and other core subjects students are learning in the classroom,” said Kelly Foss, the foundation’s executive director in West Des Moines, in a March 27 media statement. “When students step inside the Seed Survivor classroom, science comes to life. They see how Iowa agriculture impacts their daily lives while building curiosity about plant science and future careers.”

The 36-foot Nutrien Seed Survivor Mobile Classroom – a truck and trailer unit, which is handicap accessible and includes an entry and exit door – gives elementary and middle school students a chance to learn how plants grow and how agriculture connects to the food they eat each day, teaching students about plant science through several hands-on learning stations.

These include stations with interactive displays, seed planting tables, and virtual reality games that help students understand how plants grow, officials added. Students also learn how agriculture is connected to their daily lives through food and other products. A maximum of 30 students can participate in the display at one time, and it takes 20 minutes to one hour to complete the activities and presentation, depending on grade level.

Katelyn Maass, Nutrien senior manager of downstream communications, North America Global Communications, headquartered in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, told Farm World Nutrien created Seed Survivor to educate the next generation about the importance of agriculture.

“Nutrien wanted to give back to communities where they operated, and to share their knowledge about what we do best – growing healthy plants,” she said. “Nutrien has partnered for many years with agriculture education programs across the U.S., including Iowa Agriculture Literacy Foundation, united by a shared mission to bring agriculture education into classrooms.”

In 2026, Iowa, Tennessee and California became the only three states chosen to host Nutrien’s Seed Survivor Mobile Classroom. The program reaches nearly 100,000 students across North America each year, said Megan Lecky, Nutrien program adviser.

Foss told Farm World the Nutrien Seed Survivor Mobile Classroom is one of several foundation projects dedicated to enhancing agricultural literacy in Iowa’s classrooms: “For the second year, the Iowa Agriculture Literacy Foundation is partnering with Nutrien to bring this innovative traveling classroom to schools across the state.

“The program is designed for 3rd and 4th grade students and offers a dynamic introduction to plant science and agriculture, connecting classroom learning to the real world in a fun and hands-on way,” she said.

She said the name “Seed Survivor” truly captures the spirit of the program: helping students discover what plants need to thrive and survive.

“The curriculum is rich with interactive experiences: inside the mobile classroom, students rotate through stations that include multimedia games, virtual reality, and talking walls, all focused on plant nutrients and crop growth,” she said. “Each student also plants a sunflower seed to take home, continuing their learning experience beyond the classroom.”

She said all the resources, materials and curriculum for the Seed Survivor tour across Iowa are provided free to schools, thanks to the foundation’s agriculture literacy partnership with Nutrien.  

“In addition to the Seed Survivor Mobile Classroom program, the Iowa Agriculture Literacy Foundation offers free year-round programs, resources and support to K-12 educators, inspiring the teaching of science, math, social studies, language arts, nutrition, and career and technical education through the lens of agriculture,” she said.

She added the Iowa Agriculture Literacy Foundation was developed in 2014 and reaches all corners of the state, with a coalition of supporters and agricultural stakeholders, including Iowa Agriculture in the Classroom, the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation, the Iowa Corn Growers Association, the Iowa Soybean Association, the Iowa Pork Producers Association, the Iowa Beef Industry Council and others committed to “strengthening agricultural literacy across Iowa.”

“After the 2026 nine-week tour wraps up, we’ll evaluate its impact, and explore possibilities for future tours in 2027, and beyond,” she said.

In Tennessee, the Nutrien Seed Survivor Mobile Classroom program is promoted internally through local Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation Women’s Leadership Committees and Young Farmer & Ranchers, according to Chris Fleming, Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation associate director of special programs and Tennessee Agriculture in the Classroom program leader.

“It is a challenge offering a program statewide with only one unit,” he told Farm World. “The process also limits the advertising and promoting the trailer to Nutrien retail store service areas, first. The Tennessee Farm Bureau’s Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom hosts the ‘Seed Survivor,’ along with Nutrien.

“This year, we concentrated on counties mainly in the eastern part of our state: Knox, Hamilton and Blount utilized the program the most,” he added. “It did schools in other counties: Coffee, Maury, Lawrence and Sumner in middle Tennessee because of previous tour success in these areas.”

He said the feedback is overwhelmingly positive from students, teachers, parents and community members: “The paid presenters comment about how engaging the program is for the students. It has that wow factor that gains attention, and enough hands-on activities that allow the message to resonate.

“In order to feed a growing population, we are going to have to produce more food on diminishing, suitable, available land,” he added. “This is accomplished by managing the sunlight, air, water, soil, and nutrients that plants need. We discuss what Tennessee farmers produce and whether the things Tennessee residents consume are grown locally or imported. This allows students to realize that their lives depend on a modern, healthy agriculture industry.”

He said the teachers receive information prior to the visit that allows them to prepare students, and assessments and online games to continue the investigation: “Learning what it takes to grow a couple of plants that they take home is a great way to reinforce the message, and spark interest in careers in agriculture.”

He said Laura Purtle, Spring Hill High School science teacher in Columbia, Tenn., is instrumental in working with Nutrien, schools, volunteer presenters, and the mobile classroom bus drivers: “There are a lot of moving parts involved in making a successful tour.

“Finding the schools in locations that have time beyond spring break and testing, local Nutrien support and available farm bureau volunteers is the reason most states are not willing, or invited to host. I am so thankful that Tennessee, Iowa and California have found a way to make this program not only survive, but thrive.”