Provided by: PBS Wisconsin Education |Published on: June 26, 2023
Articles/Websites Grades 9-12, 6-8
Synopsis
This short video features a fourth-generation farmer describing the organic growing practices on their farm in Wisconsin and the brief article describes how climate change may affect farms and community supported agriculture in Wisconsin.
The video also describes some of the changes they are observing on their farm and how they deal with pests or changing conditions.
The narrator describes the connection between the health of the crops she grows, the environment, and the health of the consumers who buy her products.
The farmer discusses sustainable agriculture practices such as cover crops, starting seeds in greenhouses, and using organic methods to produce large amounts of food.
The webpage has teaching tips related to local agriculture and agricultural history to try in the classroom with this resource.
Additional Prerequisites
Students should be familiar with basic agricultural terms such as crops, pesticides, organic farming, and yield.
Students should understand how soil and crop health can be affected by intense rainfall events, drought, and pesticides.
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Differentiation
A review of basic farming practices and terms such as crop rotation, harvesting, yield, organic agriculture, pesticides, fertilizer, and photosynthesis may be helpful before engaging with this video and article.
Before watching the video and reading the article, ask students what types of fresh produce they eat and where it comes from.
Consider having students research local farms and farmers' markets in their community and see if there are any community supported agriculture programs in their area.
There are interdisciplinary opportunities to discuss economics and business when examining small businesses, the farm bill, food prices, and farming subsidies.
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All resources can be used for your educational purposes with proper attribution to the content provider.