Susie Calhoun

I was raised in Livermore, and spent many days of my youth on my grandparents' ranch, who were members of the Alameda County Farm Bureau. Each summer they would take their grandchildren to the annual picnic. I then became a member of the Alameda County Young Farmers and Ranchers (YF&R). And it was through YF&R that I became a part of San Francisco Farm Day in the city.

I first participated in Farm Day in 1981. I recall the excitement among our group as we loaded up the animals. Listening to Ag in the Classroom's Mark Linder on a San Francisco radio station speaking about the day as we drove across the Bay Bridge. We visited two schools—one was a newer school, another older—both with very limited space for the children and the visiting animals. Here were children in an "urban jungle," many who had never seen a farm animal. We were providing these students an opportunity to touch, smell, and ask questions about the animals. The excitement as we drove onto the campuses was in the air. We did this for several years. Farm Bureau and agriculture education has been a very important part of my life.

I became a teacher because it is fascinating to me to watch children learn. I have been a credentialed teacher since 1986, teaching for Fremont Unified for 13 years and now with Lodi Unified for 11 years. Beckman School in Lodi has a school garden that was sponsored by the local Lions Club. There were raised beds full of pumpkins, tomatoes, red onions, and sunflowers. As I walked my first-grade students into the garden, they screamed with delight at the sight of the pumpkins and tomatoes. It sounded like they were on a televised game show! Each student was able to pick several tomatoes.

AITC offers so many valuable programs that it is hard to say which is the most valuable. I look forward to receiving my Cream of the Crop via email. Ag Venture in San Joaquin County is an important opportunity for many third-graders to experience the diversity of agriculture. Making it so accessible to the students by providing the transportation, at no cost, and very little planning for the teacher is critical to its success. The students always return with their plants and a wealth of information. It is an impressive amount of coordination, dedication and volunteerism to provide this opportunity to the students of San Joaquin County.

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