JEFFERSON CITY — House Reps. Adrian Plank and John Martin of Boone County are collaborating on a bipartisan effort to expand agriculture education in elementary and secondary schools.
House Bills 2097and 1905, introduced by Martin and Plank respectively, would enable schools across Missouri to incorporate agriculture-based lessons into their classrooms, provided they receive guidance and support from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
The program was first tested in select schools before the COVID-19 pandemic, teaching students where their food comes from through gardening, caring for small animals and other hands-on activities.
Under the bills, DESE would oversee the curriculum and provide training and resources for teachers. The bill is designed to be flexible for teachers and not add to their workload, said Plank, D-Columbia.
The bills include approximately $116,000 in funding specifically for DESE staff to help direct and manage the program statewide.
Plank said his motivation for the bill is rooted in both his upbringing and concerns about food insecurity and agricultural monopolies.
“We’ve lost a lot of different strains of corn and other things that we grow because we’ve monopolized them so badly,” Plank said. “After all, they’re going to grow the one that makes the most profit, instead of what’s good for our health.”
Plank believes teaching children how to grow food without chemicals and how to compost can help preserve local farming and food diversity.
Growing up, Plank said he learned about agriculture simply by “playing in the dirt,” an experience he wants to make available to students statewide.
Combating food insecurity is a central goal of this legislation, and the bills’ sponsors hope this curriculum will teach students across the state to develop resourcefulness.
Plank also hopes the program will encourage earlier involvement in organizations like Future Farmers of America and Head, Heart, Hands and Health, two of the largest youth development organizations in the U.S. that focus on STEM.
Martin, R-Ashland, joined Plank last year to support similar legislation and shares the belief that the program would benefit students, teachers and the community.
Martin, who grew up on a farm, said agriculture education can open doors beyond farming, including careers in soil science, crop research and business.
“Kids enjoy learning by doing,” Martin said. “So, if schools can implement that in the classroom and then maybe have a garden or things like that, I think that those are all positives for nutrition, for health, for them learning about the agriculture field.”
Select schools currently implement agriculture curriculums but if passed, each lawmaker’s bill would give all Missouri schools the option to adopt agricultural education to their curriculum.
