Investing in agricultural careers, inspiring future farms
From CCE of Steuben County, pictured is Classroom Educator Stephanie McKinley with students
Bath, NY – For the third school year, classrooms across Steuben County are being visited by agriculture educators from the Steuben County Agriculture in the Classroom program. Steuben County Agriculture in the Classroom is an initiative through Cornell Cooperative Extension of Steuben County (CCE Steuben) to teach agriculture education in schools across Steuben County. Agriculture in the Classroom educators travel to classes across the county teaching lessons and facilitating hands-on activities on agricultural topics including corn, turkeys, fiber and clothing, dairy, composting and more. The goal of the program is to educate students about the importance of agriculture and to get them excited about careers in agriculture.
CCE Steuben started the Agriculture in the Classroom program in the Fall of 2023 due to a need to get young people in Steuben County excited about working on farms. The average age of farmers in Steuben County is 57 years old and 98% of Steuben County farms are family run according to the Steuben County Ag Census. The number of farms in the county has been decreasing, in part due to younger generations not taking over the family-run farms. By educating students from a young age with fun hands-on activities, Steuben County Agriculture in the Classroom hopes to encourage interest in agricultural careers which would continue to keep one of the biggest economic industries in Steuben County alive and viable.
The Agriculture in the Classroom program is offered in counties across the state in partnership between New York State Agriculture in the Classroom and Cornell Cooperative Extension with a primary goal of increasing agricultural literacy and awareness of how agriculture impacts daily life. In Steuben County, a partnership with GST BOCES has been instrumental in offering an affordable option for schools to participate while enabling a sustainable program structure for CCE Steuben.
What began in 2023 with seven school districts and one educator has now, just two years later, grown to a program that is in all 13 school districts in Steuben County and operates with one part-time and two full-time educators. Each month of the school year, Agriculture in the Classroom educators visit classrooms around the county providing lessons to students in grades pre-K through 7th that teach to New York State Education Standards that include science, social studies, and ELA. In addition to classroom visits, Steuben County Agriculture in the Classroom reaches youth through summer school enrichment programs, libraries, and other community-based programs. Last year in 2024, the program served over 3,000 unduplicated youth and it is on target to reach even more this year.
For more information about CCE Steuben and its educational programs, visit: https://putknowledgetowork.org
