While we may be getting to the end of May Beef Month, that doesn?t mean we can stop advocating for the beef industry. At the Iowa Beef Industry Council (IBIC), that advocacy comes in many different forms. Arguably the most important among these is beef education, especially when it comes to younger kids.
Casey Anderson is the Director of Industry Relations with the IBIC. She said it?s more important now than it ever has been to start that education with young kids, especially since many of them are now three or four generations removed from the farm.
Of course, we all wish that more people had a greater knowledge of agriculture, but we can?t be mad at them for not knowing what they don?t know. We have to remember that a lot more people nowadays simply have little to no exposure to farming. Anderson said the beef industry needs to do its best to keep up with a population that becomes more urban every year.
A lot of the educational materials used for beef education uses a lot of data and numbers. While this can usually work for adults, it?s much more confusing for younger kids. As a result, this information has to be converted into material that can be more easily understood by kids. Anderson said it?s a lot of work, but it is still very rewarding.
As more people become more out of touch with agriculture, education becomes an even more daunting task, especially when it comes to kids. However, it?s a necessary task, and we all need to do our part. Anderson said she?s usually able to teach kids by using analogies or sensory components.
For more on how the Iowa Beef Industry Council works to support Iowa beef, visit iabeef.org.
