On Wednesday morning (May 27th), a couple of farmers from the Verdant Valley area were at St. Anthony’s School in Drumheller to share with the students the life of a farmer.
The Ask A Farmer Session has become an annual event, alternating between St. Anthony’s School and Greentree School year by year. Lynn Hemming, one of the farmers presenting, shares the importance of kids understanding where their food comes from. “We love doing it because we think it is important for kids to know where their food comes from. As we shared (Wednesday), we believe farming is the one industry that makes all other professions possible because if you don’t have a secure food source, you can’t pursue other careers. We want kids to recognize how important agriculture is.”
It is also a hands on presentation as the kids that attend have the opportunity to see and feel the grains that are grown and harvested around our region. Hemming admits that often they have kids that are surprised when they see the grains close up. “There are a few farm kids in every presentation, but there are many kids who haven’t been on a farm, or haven’t spent much time on a farm. They had great questions. Their enthusiasm and their interest really encourages us.”
Hemming is optimistic that having presentations like this, could encourage kids to pursue a life in agriculture, when they grow up. “I think that agriculture is an essential industry and I think it is an option that kids should explore. It was interesting to see a number of young ladies who said they were thinking about pursuing agriculture as a career.”
They also typically bring farmers from different generations to the presentation to show the evolution of agriculture. Hemming is amazed herself, how much farming has changed over the years. “One of the cool things we shared what farming was like 80 years ago, and we talked about the future of farming. We talked about the possibility that someday tractors and combines would run all by themselves, and you would be home on your computer, watching your crop being seeded. I think the kids were very interested in the changes that have occurred and the possibilities in the future of what it might look like to be in agriculture.”
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