by Parker H. Jimison
The Yellowstone County Farm Bureau held events this past week for elementary students at Shepherd Elementary and Custer School to teach kids about the importance of taking care of their communities.
On Monday, April 22nd, several Farm Bureau members, students from Shepherd Elementary, and the Shepherd FFA gathered together to clean up litter on and around the school grounds and ball fields for Earth Day. Cindy Todd, Yellowstone County Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers Committee Chair, said that she “talked to the kids about how it’s important to take care of their communities, and that it’s their responsibility to pick up after themselves and dispose of garbage.” Todd also added that she told the class that farmers and ranchers care for their land in the same way to keep the land they live and work on healthy for years to come.
The Yellowstone County Farm Bureau also put on an Accurate Ag Book reading at Custer School on April 25th, with members reading “Right This Very Minute,” a book aimed at teaching kids about how farmers produce the foods they eat every day. After the reading, the students, ranging from kindergarten to 5th grade, participated in an activity in which they matched commodities with the final product, whether it was a dairy cow with cheese, or a cotton plant with a T-shirt.
“As Yellowstone Country Farm Bureau members, we haven’t spent much time in the outlying communities like Custer and decided that doing an Accurate Ag Book reading would be a worthwhile endeavor,” said Teddi Vogel, YCFB Women’s Leadership Committee Chair. “Not only did we get to share a fun activity and book with a different school, but we were able to work with Jen Abel, a new member of Farm Bureau, who is excited to become more involved. Our classroom educational events are such a great way to connect with young people, involve our members and have a ton of fun teaching kids about agriculture.”
