Agriculture Reading Hour

Making the Connection

Many volunteers who choose to participate in Agriculture Reading Hour are farmers, ranchers, or agribusiness partners. These volunteers use their experiences in farming and ranching to share with students about agriculture in Nebraska. As you look around the state, you may notice there aren’t many strawberry fields. Although Nebraska is not a nationally recognized producer of strawberries, this story allows volunteers to connect with readers in other ways. If you’re a volunteer feeling a little disconnected from the story, try using these bits of information to connect with students.

1. Jolie grows her own plants – so do you! Jolie may be a small-scale farmer, but you can connect to her story by sharing about the plants and animals that you grow and raise.
2. Jolie has complications growing her food – so do you! She deals with things such as pests and has a comical way to keep her plants growing. How do you keep your plants growing?
3. Jolie eats her plants – so do you! Your crops are processed into food and products we can use. You can share a connection for how your crops are used; maybe they even feed animals!

In the end, this story allows farmers and ranchers to connect with students. It’s an open door into the classroom to share about agriculture in a colorful story, while also sharing your story of how you grow food.