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  • From: Marlin L Burkholder <gleneco1 AT juno.com>
  • To: market-farming AT franklin.oit.unc.edu
  • Subject: Re: Agriculture Curriculum
  • Date: Tue, 23 Jan 2001 21:37:26 -0500


I can't resist telling my own story about our experience relating to the
public school VoAg teaching scene

One of my daughters started out in VoAg with a lot of energy and
enthusiasm. She went through the whole program, went to state FFA
convention several times, National FFA Convention once, even served as
local chapter president, and ended up disillusioned with the whole scene,
frequently complaining about a chapter advisor who was noninnovative and
poor at motivating and inspiring the kids. My son took one year of VoAg,
went to state convention that year, came back miserable and complaining
about "all the perverse rednecks" and promptly dropped out of VoAg with
the encouragement of his older sister who somewhat regretted having spent
as much time as she had in FFA.

Around the same time, I was sitting on the board of directors of Virginia
Association of Biological Farmers discussing ways we as an organization
could increase our educational thrust and exposure. We all agreed that
working to get FFA and 4H members to attend our conferences or to work on
getting "sustainable Ag" material into local VoAg curricula was a good
idea. I didn't continue to push it much as my own kids were getting fed
up with FFA, and it didn't appear that anyone had contact with local FFA
advisors who had much interest in playing ball with us. The motivation
to keep whipping a dead horse just wasn't there.

Marlin Burkholder

" Concerning most controversial issues, the truth is to be found
somewhere between what the extremists on either end are shouting, and is
usually spoken quietly and with conviction. It is up to us to find that
truth and to act upon it."

"'Truth' is 'truth' regardless of whether or not you, or I, or anyone
else, will believe it."

"Do not my friend, apply to me the labels 'conservative', 'moderate', or
'liberal'. I only ask you to allow me the freedom to be conservative
when I need to be conservative and to be liberal when I need to be
liberal."

(authors unknown)
from the central Shenandoah Valley of Virginia



On Tue, 23 Jan 2001 08:00:27 -0600 "Wiediger, Alison"
<awiediger AT HART.k12.ky.us> writes:
> 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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