Jane Roberti

Agriculture has always been a part of my life. I was very active and involved in 4-H and raised dairy goats, sheep, and beef cattle. I was also active and involved in Young Farmers and Ranchers and met my husband through the program. We married in 1985 and I became a part of the family operation. Now, I teach Ag in the Classroom at the local elementary school and bring a Petting Farm to the county fair and into the classroom to educate about farm animals. I also serve as a 4-H Leader in Record Books and Arts and Crafts and on the Loyalton High School FFA Advisory Board. Additionally, I have the privilege of serving on the California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom Board.

I go into my daughter's classroom and teach agricultural education utilizing the AITC curriculum and Ag Letters of the Week (A to Z), a program I created and have shared with other teachers throughout the state at the AITC Conference. Last year, I taught in her classroom on specific commodities from production to finished product. We have field trips to our ranch and share our unique operation.

I was involved in the first ever Farm Day—along with my brother and sister—in San Francisco in 1981, taking down farm animals and fielding a variety of questions. "How do pigs lay bacon?" "Does that chick weigh a ton?" "Do brown cows give brown milk?" We asked, "Where does your food come from?" They happily replied "from the grocery store." We taught about the farm animals and what they eat, where they lived and how they are raised. Then we compared the similarities of the kids' and animals' breakfasts to each other. They had the opportunity to use all of their senses, ask questions, and touch and hold real farm animals.

Agriculture is everywhere, yet not everyone knows where their food, fiber or products come from. It is important to educate students and their parents on where it all comes from. We are very proud of our agricultural roots and want to share with others.

In my daughter's kindergarten and first grade classroom, teaching the Ag Letters of the Week (A to Z) was a very positive experience for me and also for the students. There were students who had never had fresh fruits or vegetables or something made from the products we brought in for taste-testing. The impact on the students was great and was well-received by the students, their parents and teacher. They learned how to make butter, ice cream and soap. I had to laugh that a cafeteria worker had me talk to a student about how chickens do have bones since they were used to boneless chicken nuggets. Ag education is extremely important on all levels, even in our rural area.

I believe all that AITC offers is fantastic. From the resources, to the field trips, to the conferences, all have something great to offer and for participants to benefit from. I'm very impressed with the program and strongly support it with my time, energy, resources, and finances. I've benefited from sharing first hand knowledge with teachers and participants of our farming and ranching operation and the great diversity of agriculture throughout our state and nation and the importance of agriculture to the economy.

Today's students need to be agriculturally literate and know where their food, fiber and products come from. They need to understand that agriculture is used daily in one capacity or another and gain appreciation for and how agriculture affects their lives.

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