We have some phenomenal educators across the Big Sky State who teach students about agriculture in innovative and original ways. 

At Montana Farm Bureau, we want to give back to those teachers, recognize them for their hard work and help provide resources for them to continue educating about Montana farming and ranching.

The Ag in MY Classroom contest does just that.  Through a simple online submission, teachers may win Ag Accurate lessons and materials.  We’d like to congratulate these two winners on a job well done!

Sherrie Bassett Fredrickson grew up in Cleveland Ohio and recently moved to Broadus after marrying a local rancher.  She’s the K-8th grade teacher in the rural school at Biddle, Montana.

 

Mrs. Bassett Fredrickson and her students were the June winner for the Ag in MY Classroom contest for their Accurate Ag Book lessons and Farm Safety Speaker Visits.

 

Community member and active Farm Bureau leader, Mrs. Darcia Patten has been coming to Biddle School for many years teaching our children the ABC's of Farm Safety. She always gives a wonderful presentation.  She discusses PTO safety, tractor safety, farm animal safety, and swimming safety. Her presentation is so important.  Most of my students live on ranches, so it is great to be reminded of safety because when we get careless, accidents happen. 

 

Our students also love when she comes to visit and reads ag accurate books. She brings agriculture coloring books and recently read "John Deere, That's Who".

 

These presentations have also helped me with identifying farm equipment and safety on the ranch.  I’m from Cleveland, Ohio, so I’m not familiar with the equipment that most people from this area already know and can identify.

 

We have some wonderful and dedicated educators across Montana!  Here’s a look back at the winner for May.

 

 

Chateau Van Voast grew up on a family ranch near Hinsdale, Montana.  She and her husband have since rejoined his family farm near Turner, Montana where they raise cattle and wheat.  Mrs. Van Voast teaches 4th through 8th grades in a one-room, rural school at North Harlem Elementary near Harlem, MT.   

 

 

Mrs. Van Voast and her students won the May contest with their Digital Breakout of Wisconsin & Cheese project.
 
I brought some cheese home from Union Star Cheese to share with my students after my trip to Wisconsin. Union Star Cheese Factory is just down the road from a friend I met in 2010 during a 4-H exchange trip. 
 

I gave the kids some 10 Year Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese and a Port Wine Cheese Spread, but they had to earn it by working through a Digital Breakout about the state of Wisconsin. A digital breakout is like an online "escape room" using clues from articles, word puzzles, pictures, and google maps. They had to find a number code, a direction code, a word code, and a color pattern code. 

It's been a super fun team building and problem-solving activity, and it's interesting to watch them decide which problems to work out first. Some of them loved the sharp cheese, but very few! One described it as "something disgusting that I don't want to stop eating.”

 

With a new school year quickly approaching, make sure the teachers in your lives know about this great opportunity.  Learn more about the Ag in MY Classroom contest here.