Teachers learn about S.C.'s second biggest industry
Contributed by SCFB

(l- r) Sandy Frazier, Kristi Schrader, Jane Carlson, and Leigh Suarez discover how corn is dried before entering grain bins at Durai Farms in Kershaw County during the 2007 Ag in the Classroom Teacher Institute.

Four Richland County educators are ready to start the school year with a greater appreciation for agriculture and are better equipped to teach their students about the sources of their food, fiber, and forestry products.

Sandy Frazier of Alcorn Middle, Leigh Suarez of St. Joseph's Catholic School, and Jane Carlson and Kristi Schrader, both of St. Peter's Catholic School, recently completed an intensive week of study at the annual South Carolina Farm Bureau Federation's (SCFB) Ag in the Classroom Institute in Columbia, SC. The teachers also received three hours of graduate credit (good towards their teacher re-certification) from Clemson University.

SCFB President David Winkles said, "We're counting on our state's teachers to help us educate young consumers about the value of agriculture. Most kids today think that food comes from the grocery store and that clothes come from the mall. If agriculture is to maintain its status as the second largest industry in South Carolina - providing more than 450,000 jobs - we've got to help people understand the link between their food, fiber and shelter and the farm. Ag in the Classroom is a tool to help us accomplish that goal."

For more information or to schedule an in-service workshop, call Ag in the Classroom Director Maria Samot, 1-800-628-4571.