Colorado Agriscience Curriculum
Section: / Advanced AgribusinessUnit: / Agriculture Issues
Lesson Title: / Advocacy in Agriculture
Colorado Ag Education Standards and Competencies / AGB11/12.06 - The student will demonstrate teaming skills through problem solving activities in agriculture business management.
AGB11/12.06.01 - Identify situations where compromise is necessary.
Colorado Model Content Standard(s): / English Standard 1: Students read and understand a variety of materials.
English Standard 4: Students apply thinking skills to their reading, writing, speaking, listening, and viewing
English Standard 5: Students read to locate, select, and make use of relevant information from a variety of media, reference, and technological sources.
Student Learning Objectives: / As a result of this lesson, the student will:
1. Understand the purpose of an advocate for agriculture.
2. Understand the opportunities available to farmers and ranchers through farm organizations and grower groups.
3. Understand opportunities available to agriculturists after high school to promote American agriculture.
Time: / One fifty minute lesson
Resource(s): / None
Instructions, Tools, Equipment, and Supplies: / Construction paper for drawing, one per student
Colored pencils or markers
Projector and laptop or copies of notes on overhead
Materials for taking notes
Computer with internet access, one per student
Interest Approach: / Have paper and colored pencils or markers available to each student for this exercise.
Welcome to the rest of your life! Today is the day you are leaving the nest provided by your parents and you are heading out on your own to become someone involved in production agriculture. The product you are going to produce is up to you…it could be strawberries or corn for ethanol or cotton or even lumber. There is only one problem…you need help! You are going to design your own agriculture support group. You must come up with the name of your group (a good example is the Colorado Corn Growers Association) as well as your logo and your mission statement. When I say “design,” you will have 15 minutes to create your support network. Remember, create your own name, logo, and mission statement that will serve you and others like you as you begin to be an advocate for agriculture within your specific product!
Design!
After the 15 minutes is up, allow students to share by holding up their posters. Praise those that showed creativity and yet stuck to the task.
Objective 1: / Understand the purpose of an advocate for agriculture.
Great job producers! I mentioned a key terms a few minutes ago when I was giving direction for your project. Does anyone remember it? Good job ______. The new idea that we are going to focus on today is that each of you will become an advocate for agriculture. Just as we need leaders on the football team and in our FFA Chapter, the agriculture industry needs you to speak out on behalf of other producers. Please capture the following idea in your notes.
Project slide 2.
What is an advocate for agriculture?
• An advocate for agriculture is someone who helps the industry by providing leadership for fellow farmers, ranchers, and rural citizens in hopes of allowing them to continue making a living in production agriculture.
Ask students the following questions and allow them to explain themselves.
Are you an advocate for agriculture?
Do you know who this man is? Answer: Mike Johanns, US Sec. of Ag.
Use the following questions to encourage discussion. Allow students to answer one question at a time.
What are some different ways that you can become involved and let your voice be heard? What can you speak intelligently about? What is your area of expertise?
Thanks for the participation! Sounds like some of you could be a lobbyist on the hill! You are on your way to becoming a great agricultural activist, but you may need a little assistance from others on the way.
Objective 2: / Understand the opportunities available to farmers and ranchers through farm organizations and grower groups.
No one man or woman is able to move a mountain on their own. We all need help and we need to stick together to get things done. Seems like everyone has their own little “union” these days, whether it’s the NFL Players Association, the Plumbers Union in Denver, or the ADBAA (American Dodge Ball Association of America). In the same way, agriculturists stick together through commodity groups, grower associations, and even a union here and there! In our own way, we are like other unions in that sometimes we have to fight for higher prices or better markets for our products. It is so much better to be price makers than price takers. Therefore, agriculturists that have come before you have created numerous groups to help influence those in government and to educate others about their product. Can anyone give me some examples of commodity groups you have heard of in Colorado? (Colorado Corn Growers, Rocky Mountain Farmers Union, Farm Bureau, Colorado Wool Growers Association, etc.)
Project slide 3 for students to copy from after they are done giving their guesses. Have them capture these in their notes.
1. Colorado Wool Growers Association
2. Farm Bureau
3. Rocky Mountain Farmers Union
4. Colorado Beef Cattlemen’s Association
5. Colorado Corn Growers Association
6. American Dry Bean Board
7. Colorado Association of Wheat Growers
8. Dairy Farmers of America
9. Colorado Dairy Goat Association
10. Rocky Mountain Llama Association
…AND THE LIST GOES ON AND ON!
Hand out assignment sheet 1. Instead of lecturing on each group yourself, the kids are going to do the research. Each should have access to a computer and the internet. I would not recommend grading the oral presentation unless you see fit. It should be used as a time of discovery and an alternative to additional notes!
Great job thinking about agriculture in Colorado! The more I think about it, this seems to be your lucky day! Instead of listening to me lecture for thirty minutes about each group, you will get to choose one that interests you and do some research on that group. You will have 30 minutes to prepare your oral summary to the class. When I say “research”, you will begin by getting on the internet and using the site provided.
Research!
Allow students to research for 30 minutes are provide assistance where needed. They should be copying notes onto their notes page to use during their oral presentation. Allow students to present one at a time to the class.
Objective 3: / Understand opportunities available to agriculturists after high school to promote American agriculture.
So, you have made the decision to become involved in production agriculture, and you are ready to leave home and strike out on your own after high school, but you don’t want to loose the support and training that you had in FFA. You still want to be part of an agriculture organization, but you aren’t sure where to start. Luckily, you can continue your training and still be an advocate for agriculture in three different ways. We are going to briefly look at each of these three programs to find the best fit for you. Please capture the following notes on your worksheet.
Project slides 4, 5, and 6 as they take notes.
Young Farmers and Ranchers Program
• Objective: Young Farmers and Ranchers develop leadership skills while helping others speak out about agriculture.
• Open to: Anyone ages 18-35.
• Operation: Operated via the local Farm Bureau
• Advocates for agriculture? Yes!
• How to become involved: For additional information on Young Farmer & Rancher events contact Dana Thompson, Young Farmer & Rancher Coordinator, at 970-454-1881.
State FFA Officers
• Objective: To serve the Colorado FFA Members and promote agriculture within the state.
• Open to: Completers of an agriculture education program, up to age 21.
• Operation: State Officers serve for one year and are elected by a nominating committee. They represent all members and strive to teach the importance of agriculture to all they contact.
• Advocates for agriculture? Yes!
• How to become involved: Contact Mr. Oschner, State FFA Advisor at (303) 595-1562, or your chapter FFA Advisor.
Colorado Young Farmer Educational Association
• Objective: Continuing education and socialization for those in production agriculture.
• Open to: Anyone aged 18-118
• Operation: Via current agriculture education programs (may be your current FFA advisor)!
• Advocates for agriculture? Yes!
• How to become involved: Contact Jack Annon, State Executive Secretary for the CYFEA at (970) 521-6690.
Review/Summary: / Use a Mother Goose Moment to encourage students to create a short song using the tune of a nursery rhyme in order to summarize their research on the agriculture group for Objective 3. Encourage creativity and good communication skills.
Example: Sung to “Mary Had a Little Lamb”
The Colorado Wool Growers like to eat lamb, like to eat lamb, like to eat lamb.
The Colorado Wool Growers like to eat lamb but Mary could not join in!
Application--Extended Classroom Activity: / Bring in Young Farmers, State FFA Officers, Young Farmers and Ranchers, Commodity Groups, and local Farm Bureau members to discuss the importance of being an advocate for agriculture. Have them stress the importance of creating their own future by fighting for their needs as farmers and ranchers.
Application--FFA Activity: / Encourage students to participate in the Agriculture Issues CDE. For practice, they can present their issue to commodity groups, farm organizations, and Young Farmer Organizations.
Application--SAE Activity: / Organize an internship opportunity through an organization such as Colorado Corn or Colorado Beef Cattlemen’s Association, whereby students can learn the “in’s and out’s” of the industry and build a strong SAE at the same time.
Evaluation: / See attached.
Evaluation Answer Key: / 1. Colorado Wool Growers Association
2. Any agriculturists aged 18-118.
3. 35 years old
4. An advocate for agriculture is someone who helps the industry by providing leadership for fellow farmers, ranchers, and rural citizens in hopes of allowing them to continue making a living in production agriculture.
5. Answers may vary.
Bonus Mike Johanns
Assignment Sheet 1
Name:
Date:
Your assignment is to create a short verbal presentation on one of the agricultural groups in your handout. You will have 30 minutes to research this group on the internet. From there, you will give the class a summary of the group and the services it provides to its members. You can teach us how the organization began, who belongs, the goals of the organization, and the ideals that it strives for. Use the bottom of this paper to take notes!
Dairy Farmers of America www.dfamilk.com
Colorado Cattlemen’s Association www.cca.beef.org
National Sunflower Association www.sunflowernsa.com
Colorado Wool Growers Association www.coloradosheep.org
Colorado Association of Wheat Growers www.coloradowheat.org
Colorado Farm Bureau www.colofb.com
Colorado Corn Growers Association www.coloradocorn.org
Rocky Mountain Farmers Union www.rmfu.org
Colorado Dairy Goat Association www.colodga.org
Rocky Mountain Llama Association www.rmla.com
Name:
Date:
Evaluation
1. What is the group devoted to wool and lamb production in Colorado?
2. Who can belong to the CYFEA?
3. What is the age maximum for the Young Farmers and Ranchers Program?
4. What is an advocate for agriculture?
5. In your own words, describe why one should become an advocate for agriculture.
Bonus: Who is the US Secretary of Agriculture?
Unit 7, Lesson 7: Title: Advocacy in Agriculture 1