SONORA, Ky. – As in all elementary schools in Kentucky, teachers at Creekside Elementary School in Sonora give instruction in math, science, English, reading and more. The only difference is that this school in the west-central part of the state implements the AgSTREAM program, which integrates agriculture education into all its subjects and curriculums.

The program aims to teach students about the future of agriculture, its impact on the community, and career readiness skills.

The seeds for AgSTREAM at Creekside were sown by principal Brooke Custis. And, with the help of the University of Kentucky 4-H Extension office and other agribusiness community partners, Creekside developed the program in time for the 2021-2022 school year to streamline ag studies into science, technology, reading, engineering, arts and mathematics. Custis said she wanted to make agriculture a focus, carrying the theme throughout the school building.

Custis also used grant funding to build an outdoor classroom and hired a STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) teacher to focus on agriculture-related jobs.

“As a new principal in 2020, I reflected on how we wanted to support our students in their return to the classroom after the pandemic,” Custis said. “After meeting with families and staff, it seemed many of them wanted students to have less screen time and more social interaction. It also seemed like students lacked a connection to each other and their community in general. The AgSTREAM program allowed us to look for ways to incorporate agricultural literacy into all subjects and curriculums in our school.

“The Hardin County Board of Education was supportive of the creation of an AgSTREAM teacher position, and all students, kindergarten through fifth grade, began attending an ag class as they would physical education, music and art,” Custis said.

Since the program’s implementation, the school has added an outdoor classroom, nature trail and wildflower garden. It also has a fruit and vegetable garden that includes several fruit trees, and an area where students can grow field crops, including corn and soybeans. In addition, there are now teaching and mentoring opportunities with the Central Hardin High School FFA chapter.

As part of the program, Creekside had its first official Ag Day in 2022. AgSTREAM teacher Laura Highbaugh helped create the event where students spend a full day learning and participating in agriculture activities, including off-campus field trips, visits from local farmers, and new farm technology.

“One of my main goals with Ag Day is to help students see what they’ve been learning about in class and understand there are more components to agriculture than just farmers,” Highbaugh said. “The AgSTREAM program is designed to help children understand the need for agriculture and where their food comes from. I want the students to know that everything they do in everyday life is somehow connected to agriculture – not just the food they eat.”

Custis, from a fourth-generation farm family, was honored for her work with AgSTREAM with a 2022 Excellence in Ag Literacy Award by the Kentucky Farm Bureau. In 2024, Highbaugh, who grew up around agriculture as well, was honored as a National Excellence in Teaching About Agriculture Award winner by the National Agriculture in the Classroom organization and USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

There are five other key school-farm programs designed to help students stay connected with the food they eat and the farms where that food is grown.

The Kentucky Agriculture & Environment in the Classroom is designed to educate students in grades K-12 about the food and fiber system. This program offers a variety of resources, including lessons plans, workshops and mobile school programs to help teachers incorporate agricultural concepts into their curriculum.

The Kentucky Farms Feed Me program allows students to embark on virtual field trips to Kentucky farms, with short educational videos that provide insights into all that is grown in the state.

The Kentucky Farm to School Challenge is for teachers who incorporate any agriculture, garden or farm-related lessons into their curriculum. This initiative encourages Kentucky schools and classrooms to engage in three activities – taste, learn and grow – during Farm to School Month (October).

The Adopt-a-Cow Program brings a calf right into the classroom. Students will receive photos and stories of a calf, highlighting the happenings to that calf as it grows up on a farm.

“There’s a Pig in My Classroom” is a live, virtual program designed for students in grades 3-6. Inside the curriculum, students will see the journey of pork from the farm to plate. They’ll learn how pigs are raised on the farm, production terminology, and how to purchase pork in the grocery store.