Fort Frye High School agriscience teacher, FFA Advisor, and GrowNextGen teacher leader Abby Campbell attended Commodity Classic 2022 in New Orleans. Commodity Classic is America’s largest farmer-led, farmer-focused agricultural and educational experience. Her participation was made possible thanks to the generosity of the Ohio Soybean Council and GrowNextGen.

While there, Campbell participated in a Nourish the Future science workshop, sponsored by National Corn Growers Association and the United Soybean Board, and received supplies for science lessons in her classroom.

What was an a-ha moment from your time at the TLC conference/Commodity Classic?
My a-ha moment took place while interacting with the science educators from around the country. As someone with an agricultural background who currently works in agriculture, we can easily become comfortable in an echo chamber— we don’t realize how our industry looks from an outside perspective. I greatly enjoyed having the opportunity to share my connection to agriculture and how it can benefit both my classroom and the classrooms of others. Conversations with these teachers helped me think of the best way to share our story with students who have no prior ag background and how we can help fill agricultural jobs with non-traditional students.

How will you use the materials with your students, and why is it important to expose them to these topics?
I can’t wait to incorporate the materials and lessons learned with my students, especially with my animal and plant science class. It is important to expose them to these topics because students may not have any agricultural background in my classes or may only have experience in one area. These students are our best bet at taking on the agricultural jobs needed to keep our country and growing population moving forward.

How do you think the lessons and materials might help influence students’ career choices?
The more we can expose students to the wide of variety of careers within agriculture, the better chances we have of them gaining interest in and pursuing that path. Students are often unaware of how many options there are, and many do not require “getting your hands dirty”! In fact, most needed jobs in agriculture are now related to technology, information and data analytics, marketing, our environment, and food science!

What would you like to say to the Ohio Soybean Council who made your participation possible?
It is evident that Ohio Soybean Council cares about using its check-off dollars wisely. Their investment in our future is ensuring that students will have the knowledge and exposure needed to continue the tradition of the agricultural industry. Thank you, Ohio Soybean Council, for your hard work sharing the story of agriculture and showing your support to teachers across the curriculum—it is much appreciated!