Opportunity Is Knocking 



■ By Cal Schroeder 



ave you ever wondered 

 what kids think about 

 your profession? Maybe 

 what they think about 

 agriculture in general? 

 With instant and proc- 

 essed food, plastic trees and flowers, 

 imitation this and that, kids often form 

 unrealistic impressions. The Agricul- 

 ture In The Classroom (AITC) program 

 is trying to change mistaken impres- 

 sions into true concepts. 



AITC is a national effort originating 

 from the United States Department of 

 Agriculture but conducted by each state 

 individually. The purpose of the New 

 Hampshire AITC program "is to en- 

 hance the understanding of agriculture 

 among K-12th grade school students 

 throughout the state, leading to a new 

 generation of knowledgeable citizens 

 who can make judicious decisions about 

 agriculture." 



How can our legislators, commu- 

 nity leaders, or the general public itself 

 vote for continued use of pesticides, 

 protection of agricultural land, or advo- 

 cate for the use of public water for 

 irrigation if they never learned the 

 importance of a local agriculture? 



The N.H. Agriculture in the Class- 

 room Council was formed for just that 

 purpose. The goals of this organization 

 are: 



1. To promote an understanding of 



the political and economic relationship 

 between agriculture and society. 



2. To develop an understanding of 

 nutrition and other health issues. 



3. To increase knowledge of food 

 and fiber production. 



4. To enhance the image of modem 

 agriculture. 



5. To develop an appreciation of our 

 historical heritage. 



The Council has hired a part-time 

 coordinator. Her name is Laurie Bryan 

 and she has an office at the N.H. Farm 

 Bureau on Loudon Road in Concord. 

 She needs your educational and finan- 

 cial support. 



Have you ever thought about the 

 good you could do for your profession 

 by speaking to a class of students? 

 Sharing with them some of your knowl- 

 edge of how plants grow? What it takes 

 to keep plants healthy? Maybe a tour 

 around the school identifying trees and 

 shrubs will provide kids with an appre- 

 ciation that plants are living things 

 needing their care. For older students, a 

 visit to a job you're working on might 

 create an interest in them that may lead 

 to potential employees in the future. 



As an organization, the N.H. Plant 

 Growers has mainly supported activi- 

 ties pertaining to high school and col- 

 lege-aged students. Maybe the oppor- 

 tunty is now available to influence many 

 more students-elementary youth. When 



kids learn they teach their parents. Pro- 

 viding the youth of New Hampshire 

 with an agricultural awareness could 

 pay off in large dividends in the future. 



Isn ' t one of the goals of this associa- 

 tion the promotion of your profession? 

 What better way than becoming an ac- 

 tive participant of the N.H. Agriculmre 

 in the Classroom Council? A represen- 

 tative from your association is welcome 

 to attend meetings and bring your pro- 

 gram suggestions. Providing someplant 

 expertise to the Council just may result 

 in an increased emphasis in the area of 

 plant science. Offering touring oppor- 

 tunities to schools by your members 

 surely will enhance the AITC program 

 and help your industry through the 

 exposure you will receive. 



Yes, opportunity is knocking foryou 

 and your association. Hopefully, the 

 sound will be heard and the door will be 

 opened. Take a chance, walk through 

 the opening and share your profession 

 with the future. 



Cal Schroeder is the Strafford County 

 Extension Educator. For further infor- 

 mation you can write Cal at this ad- 

 dress: County Administration & Jus- 

 tice Building, Dover, Nil 03820. Or 

 call him at (603) 749-4445. 



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