By SHELLY SPRINGBORN
Michigan Correspondent

LANSING, Mich. — Farmers understand nature, and now third-graders throughout Michigan do, too.

The Michigan Farm Bureau Promotion and Education Committee recently sponsored its fourth-annual poster contest for third-graders. Conducted in conjunction with National Agriculture Week on March 18-24, students were challenged to draw posters based on the “FUN - Farmers Understand Nature” theme.

“The goal is to help students learn more about the importance of agriculture in their life and where their food comes from,” said Deb Schmucker, manager of Michigan Farm Bureau’s Promotion and Education department.

Julie Smith, a student at Pinckney Elementary School in Livingston County, submitted this year’s first-place entry and was awarded a $100 savings bond. Her poster showed the cycle of agriculture, starting with a farmer and depicting how the farmer plants crops, which are used to feed animals, which then become food for human consumption and by-products that benefit nature.

A $50 savings bonds went to second-place winner Destiny Tate, a student at Bellaire Elementary School in Antrim County, and third-place winner Summer Bartrand, of Northern Michigan Christian School in Missaukee County.

Schmucker said the state Promotion and Education committee chooses a different theme each year aimed at teaching a specific lesson about agriculture.

“They take the approach of, ‘If I were one of these students how would I relate to agriculture,’“ Schmucker said.

In addition to sponsoring the contest, the state’s largest farming organization also prepares a lesson plan that can be taught by county Farm Bureau volunteers in their local classrooms.

“Over the last four years the number of counties participating in the contest has grown,” Schmucker said.

Students from more than 30 counties participated in this year’s contest.

“It’s not a difficult activity and it’s a great opportunity for students to express themselves,” Schmucker said.

Montcalm County Farm Bureau was one of the Michigan divisions that sponsored the contest on a local level.

“Most children are so far removed from farming that this was a great opportunity to bring farming into the lives of local elementary students,” said Sherry Strautz, chairwoman of Montcalm County

Farm Bureau’s Promotion and Education Committee.

“Our goal as an organization is to provide educational opportunities that promote agriculture.”

Lisa Black and Pat Hyde, who also serve on the committee, said they were pleased to see so many entries.

“We had a lot of great posters,” Black said. “It was great to see all the involvement since there aren’t very many farm kids left in our area.”

“We liked the diversity of entries,” Hyde added.

Elaine Muilenburg, who has been a longtime member of Montcalm County Farm Bureau and serves as the county’s membership committee chairwoman, said she was glad to promote agriculture to the next generation.

“So many kids don’t know where milk or corn comes from,” she said.

Cheryl Strautz, another committee member, said she hopes the contest helps educate students about the importance of farming.

“It’s important that kids start learning about farming at a young age since it is the No. 2 industry in our state,” she said.