PEORIA MAGAZINE August 2022

kids who attended often came frombro ken and very low-income homes. What we discovered was that the 4th grade classroomwelcomed us warmly and the teacher was amazing! The kids were like sponges, soaking up every word we said. They hugged us and sat qui etly while we told them about life on the farm. We showed them pictures of our equipment, and they erupted with fantastic questions at the end. It was great for our son to stand in front of the class and tell what life was like growing up on a farm and what chores he had. In the end, I think we learned more from those kids than they did from us. It definitely gives you a newperspective when you travel outside your fenceposts. Witnessing firsthand how other people liveallowsus toknowhowtobetter reach themifwe trulywant to teach themabout where their food comes from.

WITNESSING FIRSTHAND HOW OTHER PEOPLE LIVE ALLOWS US TO KNOW HOW TO BETTER REACH THEM IF WE TRULY WANT TO TEACH THEM ABOUT WHERE THEIR FOOD COMES FROM

These 4th graders had very good attendance, so we even scheduled a field trip to the Museum of Science and Industry to show them the Farm Exhibit, which had recently opened. This allowed them to see a combine and tractor up close and to learnmore about the crops we raise in Illinois. Seeing the look of awe on their faces and the squeals of joy as they climbed up in the tractor was something our family will never forget. The strength of the “Ag in the Classroom” program is in the amazing volunteers from so many local grassroots organizations. It was established back in 1981 in conjunction with the IAA Foundation and Farm

Bureau, and it has evolved into partnerships with other groups to serve 600,000 students pre-K through 12th grade. This amazing program provides a supplemental curriculum about agriculture for teachers to incorporate into their already existing plans.

Rob Sharkey , aka “The Shark Farmer,” tills the land at his fifth generation farm in the Bradford area, where he lives with wife Emily. He hosts “A Shot of Ag” on WTVP PBS and a podcast heard by millions, among other media endeavors

AUGUST 2022 PEORIA MAGAZINE 13