By Shelby Shank
Field Editor

This fall, Texas students can once again virtually visit farms and ranches right from their classrooms through Texas Farm Bureau’s (TFB) Farm From School program.

The popular program, open to kindergarten through fifth grade classrooms, has now expanded to include sixth through twelfth grade classrooms.

“Farm From School gives students the opportunity to see the diversity of Texas agriculture through a live, virtual visit where they ‘meet’ with a farmer or rancher,” said Jordan Bartels, TFB associate director, Organization Division, Education and Outreach. “We are excited to expand this program to middle and high school students. This expansion allows even more to students to connect classroom lessons to real-world applications in farming and ranching.”

Each virtual visit features a different Texas farmer or rancher and highlights a specific commodity, giving students a firsthand look at how food, fiber and fuel are produced in the Lone Star State.

The program helps students—many of whom are several generations removed from agriculture—understand the role farmers and ranchers play in their daily essentials.

“Agriculture touches every part of our daily lives, whether we realize it or not,” Bartels said. “Students might not know that Texas farmers and ranchers grow such a wide variety of crops and raise many different animals. Through Farm From School, we’re helping them make those connections. These students are the next generation of consumers and leaders, and we want them to understand how agriculture ties into what they are learning and the world around them.”

This fall semester marks the tenth semester of the program. It continues to be a favorite among public, private and homeschool educators. In fact, more than 2,000 teachers and over 40,000 students connected with farmers and ranchers during the spring semester.

The free program is open to public, private and homeschool educators across Texas.

Teachers in grades K-5 will receive free student activity booklets and TEKS-aligned lessons for the monthly virtual visits from September through December.
Grades 6-12 will participate in virtual visits in September and November and receive TEKS-aligned lesson plans and other relevant resources.

Sign up closes Aug. 13.

K-5 educators can register here.

6-12 educators can register here.

Additional details about the program, including dates and commodities featured, will be added on the Ag in the Classroom webpage as they become available.

For questions, contact the Educational Outreach team at edoutreach@txfb.org or 254-751-2569.

More information about Ag in the Classroom resources is available at texasfarmbureau.org/aitc.