Ag in The Classroom, a National group organized to promote Agriculture education for children, was conducted several days in March and April at the Ohio County Elementary School by Ag in the Classroom educator Linda Phillips, along with the assistance of Bonnie Bovard, local dairy farmer-Bovard’s Dairy, Naomi Eversman, Kystie Jaehnen, Main Source Bank, Jill Richards, Ohio County Extension Agent. Ohio County Farm Bureau, Inc. sponsored the programs for the elementary students.

Kindergarten classes were introduced to the SOYBEAN and its many byproducts and treated to a reading of the book. Why The Brown Bean Was Blue, Bennie the Bean Rap Video and were served a snack of pancakes and jam that included soy ingredients. The children also received a “goodie bag” filled with items related to their soy adventure provided by the Indiana Soybean Board.

First grade students learned about FARM and RURAL SAFETY where they were engaged in numerous interactive farm safety demonstrations to help them think about possible safety hazards peculiar to the rural setting on a farm.

They were also reminded about the use of seatbelts in a moving vehicle and helmets when riding on an ATV or bike or using a skateboard or roller blades.

The children were introduced to the ‘one seat –one rider rule.’ The children also received a ‘goodie bag’ with farm safety color books, information and crayons. The children love the interaction of this program.

Second grade students learned about BEEF, PORK and PIZZA. They were introduced to the beef cow and pig and many of the uses and byproducts of these animals, along with the nutritional value of healthy protein and nutrients in meats.

The students learned how an animal is raised and cared for on a farm and then they got to see a giant pizza and learned some of the health benefits of the ingredients used to make a pizza- including beef and pork products.

SNAPPY TOMATO PIZZA in Rising Sun provided the entire class with a slice of pizza as a treat. All the children received ‘goodie bags’ with beef and pork information and games and puzzles and a certificate for free pizza from Snappy Tomato Pizza and Main Source Bank provided piggy banks for every student. 

Third grade students enjoyed a video on dairy farms- Make Mine Milk- a rousing introduction to the health benefits of milk and dairy products and how milk is produced, processed and ends up in the grocery store.

They learned about what cows eat to produce milk and how much milk a single cow can produce in a year. (Did you know you would have to eat 1440 slices of bread or 206 baked potatoes or 480 hamburgers to eat as much as cow does in one day?)

After learning everything about dairy, the children made their own ice cream in a bag and enjoyed the results as a treat. All children received a ‘goodie bag’ with lots of fun stuff related to the dairy industry.

Along with the programs presented all the children got to view a mini scale farm with farm equipment, barns, and animals.

Many local and state businesses provided supplies for the children’ programs this year as they have in years past. Ohio County Farm Bureau, Inc., Snappy Tomato Pizza-Rising Sun, Smith Implements, Inc. of Greensburg, Indiana Soybean Alliance, Dairy Farmers of America, Indiana Beef Council, Indiana Beef Cattle Association, the National Pork Board, Rising Sun-Ohio County Rescue, and Main Source Bank-Rising Sun.

These suppliers provided, among other things, color books, crayons, books, posters, erasers, videos, educational puzzle pages, product information, craft items and food items that were enjoyed by the children during the presentations. They also provided teaching tools for the educators to use in the classroom environment as they wish to fit the school curriculum.

Mrs. Phillips donated teaching tools about agriculture to the OCEMS library and educators at OCEMS for individual classroom use. That included videos, informational posters and teaching tools with lesson plans for science, social studies, math, reading, nutrition, and Ag related topics that trace ingredients from farm to plate.

All the educators involved seemed to enjoy the sessions and were also given ‘goodie bags’ with story books for the classroom, lots of information on farm commodities and other useful items.

These classes are an annual event and Linda Phillips with her assistants has been conducting Ag in The Classroom for over 22 years. Phillips also travels to other counties for Ag Day presentations and does presentations locally upon request.

“As an Ag in The Classroom educator our goal is to continue to entertain, educate, and inform each student about farm commodity production and pinpoint safety issues that are of concern in the rural environment,” said Phillips.

“With the loss of farmland and a poor economy, farmers as businessmen, are surely suffering the effects. Hopefully, the more children learn about farm commodities and production, the more they learn to respect farmers as educated, intelligent businessmen.

“Our goal is to continue to impress upon young people and ultimately their parents, the value of farm commodities to their future health and livelihood. We try to convey the necessity of appreciating the products produced on local farms and the need to realize those products did not originate in a grocery store and be aware of the safety issues peculiar to a farm business.”

Too many Americans are struggling to find good jobs.  They’re juggling bills they can’t pay.  They’re taking out second mortgages to send their kids to college.  They’re foregoing vacations to pay high health care costs.  They’re working harder but falling farther behind.

In all, twelve million Americans are looking for work, including about 263,000 in Indiana. But, most would be surprised to learn that 3.6 million jobs go unfilled, simply because prospective employees lack the necessary knowledge and training for high-demand careers in today’s changing economy.  That’s 3.6 million opportunities lost.  That’s 3.6 million families without a good paying job.

Simply put: our nation’s job training system is overly complex and failing hard-working Americans.  There are currently more than 50 separate and distinct workforce development programs spread across nine different Federal agencies, costing taxpayers $18 billion annually.  Most of these programs are duplicative or serve similar populations.  Very few have actually been evaluated to determine their effectiveness.  This has led to taxpayer dollars being wasted, employers being unable to hire adequately trained workers, and workers not getting the skills they need to succeed. 

I recently cosponsored and voted for legislation the House passed to modernize and reform our nation’s workforce development programs.  This bill, called the SKILLS Act, eliminates and streamlines 35 redundant programs that aren’t working as well as they should to ensure workers are getting the skills they need when they need it.  This legislation finally bridges the gap between the skills workers have and those employers need, requiring results and accountability in return for the investment of scarce public resources. 

Hoosiers are tired of this failed national economy.  We must do better.  The SKILLS Act will guarantee job creators a stronger role in workforce development decisions and ensure taxpayer dollars aren’t wasted on broken bureaucracies. Most importantly, these changes should help prepare workers to find good paying jobs.

The government cannot continue living beyond its means by raising taxes and borrowing money to spend on programs that don’t work or should work better.  That approach fails to create opportunities. Once implemented, the SKILLS Act will help restore a healthier economy by getting people back to work in higher-wage jobs.  The President has called on Congress to reform workforce training.  The House has now answered that call. The Senate should do the same to help put more Hoosiers back to work.

Luke Messer is the Congressman for Indiana’s 6th Congressional District and serves on the U.S. House Budget Committee.