Agriculture in the Classroom Canada (AITC-C) is a Canadian charitable organization with a vision to bring agriculture to every classroom, inspiring every student.
Food connects us all to agriculture. In a complex and changing world, it is more important than ever to inspire the next generation to care about the food they eat, where it comes from, and how it gets to their plates.
We are proud to have these
10 dedicated organization
as members of the Agriculture in the Classroom Canada family!
It’s been a journey!
Johanne Ross
Executive Director
It’s been a journey!
I have heard myself saying these words many times as I reflect on the past year, and how Agriculture in the Classroom Canada (AITC) has arrived to this very point in its 6th year of operation.
From the foundation of AITC in February 2015, it has been a long and winding journey which has often required us to adjust speeds and take some uncharted paths to bring us to where we are now.
What a year to celebrate! So many milestones that were achieved over the past year are highlighted in this report, including:
• The birth of the Great Canadian Farm Tour: what a fabulous way of truly connecting with thousands of students and teachers from coast to coast by taking a live tour of a farm and interacting with real farmers!
• thinkAG.ca launched! An interactive and dynamic exploration of careers in agriculture and food all in one online stop, not to mention all the teaching tools housed within this amazing site!
• AITC’s Canadian Educator Resource Matrix was enhanced and expanded to include hundreds of additional bilingual resources so that we could better serve our target of educators with curriculum linked agri-food teaching tools for classrooms at all grade levels, from coast to coast to coast!
Like any adventure, the journey is not over. Team AITC looks forward to the expansion of all our current projects and the addition of some exciting new initiatives as we continue down the road.
The national staff, alongside the 10 AITC member organizations, are an amazing collective. Standing together, we have seen (and will continue to see) impact. AITC’s work is important and in demand. Progress is being made. AITC’s success is critically linked to each of our partners and supporters – the AITC community. There is no family without community and we deeply thank you for being part of ours.
We look forward to seeing what the next adventure together will bring, in our quest to bring agriculture to every classroom, inspiring every student!
Impact
We strive to have a meaningful impact on teachers and educators across the country through our programs and initiatives.
Calm
Canadian Agriculture Literacy Month (CALM) is an engaging experiential opportunity that encourages students from K to 12 in all 10 provinces to learn about and celebrate Canada’s incredible agriculture and food story.
By connecting classrooms with farmers and people with a passion for agriculture and food, students and teachers learn firsthand about this sector through the incredible story shared by the volunteer visiting with them!
Follow CALM on social media
#CALM22|#OurFoodOurStory
Canadian Agriculture Literacy Month is sponsored
by Cargill – thank you!
40,000 students, 2,500 teachers, over 300 contest entries and 11 virtual farm tours.
The numbers were staggering for the inaugural year of the Great Canadian Farm Tour.
Throughout the month of March, we traveled coast-to-coast to visit farms in each province alongside our provincial member organizations. Students were able to LEARN about Canada’s exciting agriculture and food story, CONNECT and interact virtually with real farmers, and EXPERIENCE what it’s like on farms across the country.
If you missed it, don’t worry! We’ve uploaded our bilingual and accessible videos to our
YouTube page for you to watch any time!
Congratulations to Hillmond Central School in Lloydminster, SK for being the winner of the Great Canadian Farm Tour 2022 Contest! This class is holding up the completed mystery sentence from their Great Canadian Farm Tour Passport!
Testimonial
“My students had a lot of fun with this, as did I. We all learned so much about farms across our country and how important they are to our food supply. The passport idea was exciting for them too, they always looked forward to the mystery word. We did the farm tour at the same time as our units on nutrition in health, and working and living in Ontario (rural and urban communities) in Social Studies — they all connected really well! Thank you for doing this tour!”
This was an amazing opportunity to take a “field trip” in our classroom. With COVID-19 restrictions, it was a way to broaden and learn about different aspects of agriculture in our country. It was also a great way to bring awareness to the different geographical places and the types of agriculture that was featured there. Well done.”
Connections
See how we’ve collaborated with industry to bring exciting new programs to the classroom!
EMIL
** Info coming soon **
G3 Scholarship recipients
The winners were chosen after a weeks-long selection process from a field of more than 50 candidates who applied and told us in a video presentation how they would drive innovation in agriculture. Each winner received $4,000 as they embark on their post-secondary education; each of their high schools was also rewarded $1,000. The scholarship is presented in partnership with Agriculture in the Classroom Canada (AITC-C).
We were proud to announce the 2021 G3 Grow Beyond Scholarship winners:
FFC360 in the classroom
A successful partnership between Farm &Food Care (FFC) and Agriculture in the Classroom Canada (AITC-C) has led to the completion of a national classroom online resource designed to give students and teachers across Canada the opportunity to dig deeper into the virtual farm tours available at FarmFood360.ca. FarmFood360° virtual reality farm tours allow Canadians to tour real, working farms and food processing facilities on tablets and desktop computers, as well as through mobile phones and VR (Virtual Reality) devices.
The tours,as well as the educator guides, are currently available online at www.FarmFood360.caand www.aitc-canada.ca. This is the second partnership between the groups. In 2021, AITC produced an educator resource to accompany the award-winning publication, The Real Dirt on Farming available at www.RealDirtonFarming.ca
Guardians of the Grasslands
We launched a teaching guide with interactive resources for Guardians of the Grasslands, a documentary that explores the role that cattle play in the survival of Canada’s vanishing grasslands ecosystem. Through a funding partnership with the Canadian Cattlemen’s Foundation (CCF), Guardians of the Grasslands in the Classroom complements the 12-minute documentary through viewing and reflection questions, an online scavenger hunt, and a student-developed board game based on their investigative research. It also connects to further readings exploring the key topics of biodiversity, soil health, climate change and land management.
Innovation
Here are some of the innovative ways we connect
with classrooms all across Canada!
ThinkAg
Website
We were excited to announce the launch of thinkAG.ca, a new website aimed at getting middle years to high school students curious about careers in Canada’s agriculture and food sector.
The interactive website takes students on a journey to discover how their interests match up with careers in agriculture and food, showcased by over 70 career profiles highlighting the many diverse jobs that exist along the agricultural value chain. Students will also have access to information about post-secondary options and scholarship opportunities.
“Many of the career Education 2022 curriculum outcomes were met by attending this event. Specifically those pertaining to gaining valuable experience in career exploration & job market opportunities.”
– Teacher testimonial for
ThinkAg career expo.
(teacher in NFLD & Labrador)
Career month
We once again participated in Canada Career Month, a national campaign initiated by the Canadian Career Development Foundation (CCDF). By putting agri-food careers in the spotlight through its thinkAG initiative, AITC-C hopes to get Canadian teens curious about the diversity of careers available in the sector and help close the labour shortage gap.
SnapAG
Last year we added 12 new snapAG information sheets to our Learn About Agriculture webpage and Curriculum Connected Resource Matrix. These new, infographic resources cover ‘hot topics’ in the agriculture and agri-food sectors, including regenerative agriculture, robotics, food security, urban agriculture and more!
The addition of these 12 snapAG sheets brings the total number of sheets to 73, providing accurate, balanced and current science-based answers to various questions about agriculture and food – ready for teachers, students and learning from home.
Journey 2050
** Info coming soon **
“This is actually a lot more fun than
I thought it would be. This is a great way to teach students, the game is really fun to play.”
– Student testimonial
Grade 8 Student Manitoba
“I have never seen my students so engaged.”
– teacher testimonial
(teacher in PEI)
“I always enjoy seeing the students get really into it by the end of the game. Instead of complaining they have to play the game, they are complaining that they have to stop playing because class is over.”
– Volunteer testimonial
(volunteer in PEI)
ConnectAG
AITC-C was excited to release its newest curriculum-linked teaching tool, connectAG.
The interactive, online resource aims to support students’ understanding of where and how our food is produced, while also examining the challenges and opportunities producers face. The resource examines farms from all Canadian provinces and enables students to learn about agricultural commodities from many farmers, allowing them to make links to our food system.
AITC wins at Best of CAMA awards
AITC-C is ecstatic to announce we were the recipients of two Best of CAMA awards in November 2021!
The thinkAG website won the Website directed at the General Public category. The thinkAG website’s goal is to engage and inspire youth and beyond to consider a career in agriculture – no matter their interests or skills. In addition to our category, the thinkAG website won for Best in Show for all public facing communications.
Our 2020-2021 Annual Progress Report won in the Specialty Publications category. Our Annual Progress Report has gained more than 1,400 page views and outlines our collective national impact across our 10 provincial organizations. We are extremely proud of not only the report but the impact it reflects.
On Sunday November 21st, AITC-C leader Johanne Ross was officially inducted into the Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame. Our organization was extremely honoured to be able to celebrate Johanne and all of her various accomplishments over the years with her family and friends.
LITTLE GREEN THUMBS
Thanks to our national partner, Nutrien!
“I find the LGT program really helps to increase engagement and enthusiasm for learning in my classroom.
– Teacher in Ontario
“My students got to see that taking care of plants is hard work and that providing enough food for the whole planet is a lot of work. They finally realized that most of what they ate was grown from the ground and they grew an appreciation of the earth. This program promotes awareness of the earth and the importance of taking care of it.”
– Tanya Higdon,
Newfoundland and Labrador
Ambition
We are always cooking up interesting things behind the
scenes – here are a few we’re particularly excited about!
National competition
In the future AITC-Canada and its 10 provincial members will launch a nation-wide challenge for Canadian classrooms, specifically aimed at Grades 6-8. Teachers will use a Learning Management System as the main hub for training, content and collaboration. Students will work collaboratively to tackle the challenge using their earned knowledge and skills. Submissions will be uploaded and assessed on the LMS. Competitors will be judged at a provincial and national level, with a particular focus on sustainability and agro-ecosystems. We can’t wait to share more details in the near future!
LMS launch
AITC-C and its 10 provincial members are busy preparing a nation-wide challenge for Canadian classrooms. Teachers will use a Learning Management System as the main hub for training, content and collaboration. Classes will explore relevant topics in three different levelled content streams. Students will work collaboratively to tackle the challenge using their earned knowledge and skills. Submissions will be uploaded and assessed on the LMS. Competitors will be judged at a provincial and national level.
DAIRY FARMERS OF CANADA HERE
FOR TOMORROW SCHOLARSHIP,
POWERED BY thinkAG
In 2022, AITC-C partnered with Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC) to offer two scholarships of $2,500 each. Open to students in grades 10-12 across Canada, this scholarship aims to invigorate and equip the next generation with the understanding and belief that they have the power to make informed, sustainable food choices and career decisions.
All scholarship applicants went through a competitive application process. They needed to submit one of the following: a written essay (1,500 words), a video (3 mins), or a visual arts piece (ceramics, drawing, painting, sculpture, design, craft, photography, architecture), answering three key questions pertaining to their interests, agriculture and food careers, and global sustainability.
We look forward to sharing the recipients’ stories in next year’s Annual Progress Report!
Kareero app
Kareero is an interactive self-interest assessment app that offers an immersive experience where users are faced with developing a garden. Though students’ choices and actions, their interest areas are determined. Used with the thinkAG website, Kareero will help students explore careers that match their interests. It will be available for download from Google Play and iOS stores in Spring 2022!
Business of Food
The Business of Food is a comprehensive online platform developed by AgScape that allows educators, post-secondary students, and agri-food businesses to enhance their knowledge and understanding of agriculture and food at their own pace, from any location. Its online modules provide an ability to offer seamless, 24/7 access to professional development with information that can be dynamically updated, so learning is always current and responsive. The Business of Food also offers the opportunity to ‘live track’ progress and immediately measure impact with each module containing pre and post surveys and quizzes
Season 2 of the Great Canadian Farm Tour
We can’t wait to offer Season 2 of this highly successful learning experience in May 2023!
MILESTONE FOR SnapAG SHEETS
In 2023 we will reach the incredible milestone of 100 snapAG sheets! How are we going to celebrate? Stay tuned!
Improved Canadian Educator
Resource Library
The new and improved Resource Library provides AITC-Canada and its provincial member organizations with the ability to collect metrics on what resources teachers across the country are using with students in their classrooms. Our existing Resource Library did not have the capacity to track these numbers – and with the rise in online learning and teachers accessing things digitally, it was imperative for us to make this change! The interface and user experience has also been significantly improved. Teachers can view connected outcomes for resources to see where it fits into their provincial curriculum and “Favourite” resources that they want to come back to later. Soon you’ll be able to access the resource library for all of AITC-Canada’s offerings including Canadian Agriculture Literacy Month, the Great Canadian Farm Tour, Little Green Thumbs, and more.
To Emphasize
Since May 2022, more than 125,000 people have accessed over 500 different resources on the library!
Leadership
Meet the people who work tirelessly to ensure that Agriculture in the Classroom Canada makes a real impact in the lives of young Canadians.
Meet our board of directors &
board of advisory committee
Pat Tonn
Chair
British Columbia
Becky Parker
British Columbia
AITC Staff
Our dedicated team of coast-to-coast staff work remotely to support AITC and its various programs and initaitives.
Johanne Ross
Executive Director
Christa Wright
Operations Manager
Allison Leclerc
Finance & Admin Manager
Sue Sheridan
Director of Fund Development
Myles Dolphin
Communications Manager
Shayla Wourms
thinkAG Manager
Melissa Galay
Education Specialist
Melanie MacDonald
Senior Development Officer
Laura Lefebvre
Project Coordinator
Morgan MacTavish
thinkAG Project Coordinator
Colleen Crunican
Education Assistant
Laura Hardy
Digital Communications Assistant
Pat POPUP
** Content coming soon **
Johanne Ross
Executive Director
Through my career journey, I have been able to experience first-hand the passion, inspiration, excitement, innovation and uniqueness of Canada’s agriculture and food story. I feel so blessed to be able to share all of this with Canadian educators and students through AITC’s critical resources, programs and initiatives. Collaboration is the cornerstone to what we do – how lucky am I to be able to work alongside all the dynamic provincial member organizations, as well as hundreds of dedicated stakeholders and partners, as we strive together to build curiosity around, connections to and understanding of, the business of producing food. I love my job!!!
Christa Wright
Operations Manager
Growing up on a farm, I always had a great appreciation where our food comes from. Our family is now into the 3rd generation, and I have watched how farming is not just a job but a lifestyle filled with dedication and passion. Our children today are so removed from the farm, they do not have the understanding of where our food comes from or know the importance. When I first began my career in agriculture education many years ago, I quickly learnt that we have an obligation to educate our future generations. We have a great story to tell and I am excited to have a role to play in delivering it to students across Canada. Agriculture in the Classroom Canada will build provincial capacity across this country for agriculture education so we can reach as many students as possible. So proud to be a member of this dynamic team!
Allison Leclerc
Finance & Admin Manager
I feel fortunate to be a part of the AITC-C team, seeing each province deliver Ag Education across the country. As a farmer, I feel it is important that people, young and old, know where their food comes from and AITC-C delivers in an accurate, balanced and current format!
Sue Sheridan
Director of Fund Development
“Life truly does come full circle”.
Early in my career I had the good fortune to work at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, the largest indoor agricultural and equestrian event in the world. My portfolio included the Fair’s education centres, that were presented by various sector associations, who hosted over 45,000 school aged children over the course of the 10 days. The Fair brought the curriculum to life, helping students understand where their food came from and how vital Agriculture and Agribusiness is to Canada and our collective future.
Joining the Agriculture in the Classroom team, feels like home. Working with member associations, sector partners, corporations, government, and Foundations to ensure Teachers continue to have the resources they need to highlight the connections Agriculture has to the curriculum, and the vital role it has in the lives of Canadians and their communities across the country.
Education goes beyond shaping us as individuals, it helps us form opinions on local and global issues, teaches us about our communities. With education we learn to support each other and help make positive changes.
Myles Dolphin
Communications Manager
Growing up in the Montérégie region of southern Quebec, where 30% of the province’s agriculture GDP comes from, I really should have become a poultry or dairy farmer. But as a teenager, I realized that I had inherited my father’s passion for education and continuous learning. It took me to various corners of the world and ultimately brought me to the Yukon Territory, where I was able to start my career in communications and gain a real appreciation for the industry.
As a professional communicator for the past six years, it has become abundantly clear to me that not everyone communicates or processes information the same way. If we did, it would make my job so much less challenging and enjoyable. One constant I’ve noticed, however, is that in a world where everyone’s vying for the consumer’s attention, information is easier to digest if it’s catchy, memorable and fun. And that’s partially why I decided to join AITC-C and its driven staff. The role of a communicator is to convey messages efficiently and creatively, which AITC-C embraces.
So here I am, leaving my comfort zone to join AITC-C on a mission to bring agriculture to every Canadian classroom. It’s a brand new industry for me but a great opportunity to connect with new audiences, create and grow new relationships, and quench my never-ending desire for learning.
Shayla Wourms
thinkAG Manager
From the time I was a little girl, I pondered what it meant to find my dream career. My dream meant having the opportunity to make a difference in this world, the chance to leave my mark. The dream came true when I found agriculture, and then the dream grew into something bigger: having the opportunity to share the importance of food and farming with the rest of the world. Helping people connect to and understand agriculture in their own special way has become the purpose of my career. Agriculture is essential to life, which means it will be forever present, forever looking forward, forever innovating, and forever exciting. I’m proud to represent agriculture as a Saskatchewan farmer and a member of the AITC Canada team, striving to help people of all ages understand where their food comes from, how it is produced, and why it is the greatest industry on earth.
Melissa Galay
Education Specialist
As a teacher, I strive to foster 21st century skills through students learning experiences. My teaching philosophy is rooted in developing critical thinking, communication, collaboration and creativity skills which are imperative for students to be successful both in and out of the classroom. In the agriculture industry, now more than ever, it is vital to equip students with the skills and tools they need to navigate their way through the information available to them online, and in the media. Giving students the opportunity to not only learn where their food comes from, but also the best practices and safety assurance processes involved in the agri-food sector is the key to building public trust in our future leaders! I am so excited to bring an educator perspective to the AITC-C team in this new role and continue with the great work that is being done across Canada in agriculture education.
Melanie MacDonald
Senior Development Officer
Growing up, I always knew that I wanted to have a career with impact. I was naturally drawn to opportunities that were philanthropic in nature and held the promise of making difference in the world. I was fortunate to begin my career in the non-profit sector early on, eventually finding my place in fund development, which has grown into a passion that extends beyond a job title. I also found a place for myself as a teacher, drawn to the incredible, long-lasting impact of education. And although I haven’t grown up in agriculture, I do believe that food connects us all. I have a deep appreciation for knowing where my food comes from and understand how important it is that our future generation does, too!
Now, working with AITC-C, I truly feel like it’s a perfect balance of all my passions. I feel so fortunate to have the opportunity to work alongside this vibrant team to continue creating meaningful impact for all those we serve.
Laura Lefebvre
Project Coordinator
As a suburbanite turned agriculture enthusiast, I know first-hand how profoundly agricultural education can change a young person’s life. Growing up in southern Ontario with little awareness of the agri-food industry, my passion for science and animal husbandry had no particular direction. A few positive post-secondary work experiences opened my eyes to the big, beautiful world of farming which I’ve been fortunate to explore through my career ever since.
I’m thrilled now to be a part of AITC Canada; a team that shares my passion for agriculture and my drive to bring curiosity and opportunity to students in every corner of our country. I’m so fortunate to have found my way into this industry, and look forward to helping the next generation pave their own path too!
Morgan MacTavish
thinkAG Project Coordinator
Growing up on a 5th generation farm in a strong farming community in Southwestern Ontario, I have a deep appreciation for the time, care, and dynamic workforce that goes into our food story. With help from wonderful mentors, they opened my eyes to new career experiences within agriculture education and I strongly feel this is where I am meant to be. Joining the thinkAG team is an exciting way to pay it forward and to connect others to the unique experiences available, hopefully sparking interest in young people pursuing a career in Agriculture. Playing a role in an industry that is rooted in meaningful connections, adaptivity, collaboration, and innovation are all key factors that make it an exciting and fulfilling sector to be a part of. I am proud to be a member of the AITC-C team and excited to help inspire the next generation to thinkAG!
Colleen Crunican
Education Assistant
I have had the privilege to be immersed in the agriculture industry from a young age, as I am the fifth generation involved in my family’s apple orchard. Throughout my extensive work and educational opportunities in agriculture and growing up close to a large city, I have experienced first-hand the misinformation that many individuals hold about how their food is produced. I am excited to work with AITC-C and use my skills as a Certified Teacher to provide students and educators with informed, hands-on, and valuable tools that will help more individuals – especially students – to make their own knowledge-based decisions about the food they eat.
My interest and education in agriculture has provided me with countless opportunities, from learning about food insecurity and volunteering on farms in rural Kenya, to learning about food production in Costa Rica. Now, working with AITC-C, I believe I am exactly where I am supposed to be in my career. I look forward to combining my passions of agriculture and education into my role and working collaboratively with our team to continue the legacy that this organization has already established.
Laura Hardy
Digital Communications Assistant
Growing up in rural Prince Edward Island meant being surrounded by agriculture. Where our food came from was never a question in our home. And it should never be a question.
Although I always had a connection to agriculture in my personal life, I wasn’t actively pursuing it as a career option after I completed post-secondary. Luckily, I fell into the right opportunities helping me realize this is the industry for me. That’s what led me to my career here at AITC Canada. I am so excited to not only help bring agriculture education tools to teachers, but to also help youth realize the opportunities available no matter what their skill set is. The ag industry is much more than being a farmer. If you’re passionate, there is a place in the industry for you.
Cultivators
Our partners
Because of your support, we’re able to bring the power
and benefits of agriculture education to millions of Canadian
students and educators each year. Thank you!!
Collaboration
Do you want to get involved with Agriculture in the Classroom Canada
and play a key role within our organization?
AITC-NL Volunteer
It was just over a decade ago that Terri-Lynn Robbins remembers being inspired
by a few choice encounters at the Newfoundland and Labrador Federation
of Agriculture Expo.
Robbins was selling flowers and potted plants at a booth when a young girl,
about 7 or 8 years old, walked up to the booth next to hers. The child was amazed
by carrots with green tops on them.
“She couldn’t believe that,” Robbins said. “She’d only ever seen baby carrots like the ones at grocery stores. I thought that was so bizarre.”
That same weekend she met Christa Wright, then the coordinator for Agriculture in the Classroom Newfoundland, who asked Robbins if she’d consider volunteering for the Little Green Thumbs (LGT) program, an indoor gardening program for classrooms. Before she knew it, Robbins was connected with the Pasadena Academy School and had become a mentor for Little Green Thumbs.
Robbins didn’t know it at the time, but those encounters laid the foundation for a decade of mentoring and volunteering in her community.
“The first couple of years were a wonderful experience,” she said from her home in Deer Lake, N.L. “I was still so amazed that so many kids did not know where their food came from.”
AITC-NL Volunteer
It was just over a decade ago that Terri-Lynn Robbins remembers being inspired by a few choice encounters at the Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Agriculture Expo.
Robbins was selling flowers and potted plants at a booth when a young girl, about 7 or 8 years old, walked up to the booth next to hers. The child was amazed by carrots with green tops on them.
“She couldn’t believe that,” Robbins said. “She’d only ever seen baby carrots like the ones at grocery stores. I thought that was so bizarre.”
That same weekend she met Christa Wright, then the coordinator for Agriculture in the Classroom Newfoundland, who asked Robbins if she’d consider volunteering for the Little Green Thumbs (LGT) program, an indoor gardening program for classrooms. Before she knew it, Robbins was connected with the Pasadena Academy School and had become a mentor for Little Green Thumbs.
Robbins didn’t know it at the time, but those encounters laid the foundation for a decade of mentoring and volunteering in her community.
“The first couple of years were a wonderful experience,” she said from her home in Deer Lake, N.L. “I was still so amazed that so many kids did not know where their food came from.”
Robbins slowly stopped focusing on growing flowers and became more interested in food production. In addition to running a very busy pet farm that offers a number of children’s programs as well as a farm camp, she has found time to sit on the Board of Directors of the NL Federation of Agriculture, to chair the Agriculture in the Classroom NL Steering Committee, to volunteer for a number of agriculture-related events and to continue being a mentor for the Little Green Thumbs program.
All that hard work and dedication did not go unnoticed. This year, the NL Federation of Agriculture nominated her for the Gordon Seabright Volunteer of the Year Award.
The award is intended to recognize a volunteer who has, through an outstanding effort, made an extraordinary contribution to their community, and who has demonstrated community leadership through volunteerism.
In his nomination letter Wayne Simmons, President of the NL Federation of Agriculture, described her as an “integral part of the success of Agriculture in the Classroom NL. Her dedication to agriculture in the province is unmeasurable.”
In another letter, Jennifer McWhirter, a former LGT teacher and reading specialist with the Pasadena Elementary School, said Robbins had “gone above and beyond to make the learning more fun for all of us. She has made pesto with us and thrown Pesto Pasta parties. When students weren’t too keen on trying tomatoes, she marched in with her food processor and made homemade salsa.”
What drives her? Robbins says she gets a lot of her energy from students. “Watching children become excited about growing food, learning where their food comes from, it’s absolutely amazing,” she said. “Watching kids go from not being able to understand that carrots grow in the ground, that they don’t come in cute little baby carrot sizes, for me it’s an amazing feeling.”
As we wind our interview down, Robbins points out that by speaking on the phone from her porch, her 33 goats think she’s talking to them. She has a bit more free time this week because there aren’t any scheduled guided tours of the property. She pauses to reflect on what keeps her motivated, and where she finds the energy to carry out her laundry list of projects.
“Helping to educate people on where their food comes from, that’s one of the priorities of our farm,” she said. “Even if they learn just one thing; if someone walks away with one new piece of information, I think our job is done.”