The resolution on agricultural literacy crafted by the students and passed by Keystone Agricultural Producers was subsequently passed at the annual meeting of Canadian Federation of Agriculture, pictured here (photo: Jake Ayre/Twitter)
Manitoba Co-Operator: An education in engagement
As Allan Dawson in the Manitoba Co-Operator reports:
There are problems. And then there are problem solvers.
Reg Dyck teaches a course encouraging the latter.
“It’s easy for farmers to bitch and complain,” Dyck, who farms at Starbuck and teaches ‘Issues in Agriculture and Food’ as part of the University of Manitoba’s diploma in agriculture, said in an interview Feb. 10.
“Each of the assignments they (students) are supposed to seek solutions. How can we make things better, how can we improve things?”
As part of the course every year Dyck divides his class — around 55 students this year — into groups to come up with resolutions on agricultural policy. The class whittles them down to three and then votes on which resolution to take the floor of the Keystone Agricultural Producers’ (KAP) annual meeting.
This year’s pick asked KAP to lobby the Manitoba government to make Canadian Agricultural Literacy Month a curriculum requirement for elementary schools and that KAP lobby the federal and provincial governments to increase funding for Ag in the Classroom (AIC).
The resolution was debated at KAP’s online annual meeting Jan. 26 and carried with 82 delegates voting in favour, five opposed, and three abstentions.