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Chronological Thread  
  • From: "Wiediger, Alison" <awiediger AT HART.k12.ky.us>
  • To: 'SANET Listserv' <SANET-MG AT LISTS.IFAS.UFL.EDU>
  • Cc: 'market farming' <market-farming AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>, "'Market-Farmers AT egroups.com'" <Market-Farmers AT egroups.com>
  • Subject: Agriculture Curriculum
  • Date: Tue, 23 Jan 2001 08:00:27 -0600


Hello,
I rarely post to listservs, and usually just as a reply when I do. However,
I had an experience yesterday that shook me up a little, and wanted to share
with you all.

As you can tell from my email address, I work a 'day' job in a school
system. I enjoy my job (network administrator/computer tech/etc), but can
also say I wouldn't have my children in a public school. That was
reinforced yesterday.

I was setting up computers in an Ag classroom. It was a class on ruminants.
The teacher is a young woman (30ish). The whole class was about all the
wonderful benefits that result from adding antibiotics to the feed, worming
every few weeks, and implanting hormones. The antibiotics probably worried
me most (although the other worries me too). How can anyone, especially an
educator, be unaware of the problems resulting from such use of antibiotics?
I've been aware for probably 20 years of the resistance issue, and even
mainstream scientists are talking about it now. But in this highschool
curriculum, sub-therapeutic use of antibiotics is being presented as the
best/only way to feed cattle. As an adult, I can choose to look into such
teachings, but as a child, is there even a question? And, if this is what
we are teaching our children, what hope is there for any progress ? At the
very least, it seems to me there should be a presentation of the
environmental consequences of these practices. Enough. It made me furious,
I can't do anything about it, but it made me aware of the one-sidedness
(agribusiness' side) that is going on.

If you have any children in ag programs in public school, look at their
textbooks. Try to present other sides to the story - the established
curriculum may not.

Alison Wiediger
Au Naturel Farm
Smiths Grove, KY
http://aunaturelfarm.homestead.com
Alison Wiediger, Technician
Hart County Schools
awiediger AT hart.k12.ky.us





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