Many children today believe that chocolate milk actually comes from brown cows… and that’s only if they know that most of the milk they drink is produced by cows. Agriculture education is a minimal part of elementary school educations, and students are becoming more removed from the farm and agriculture as a result. If the consumers of tomorrow do not know where their food is coming from, why would they want to pay top dollar for premium Canadian agricultural products?
Educating consumers about the products they purchase can have an impact on the goods they purchase. If they know general information about the origin and processing aspects of their food, they may be willing to pay premiums for locally grown goods, or even increase farmers’ share of the profits of processed goods. Consumers who do not know the progression their foods make from farm to plate are also unlikely to know the amount of time and effort that farmers put into on-farm production.
Agricultural knowledge and education should start when young children enroll in elementary school. The amount of time spent learning about agriculture should increase each year so that by the time students make the transition to purchasing their own food, they know what they are buying and the main methods of processing. The dollar share that each link in the food chain receives would also be part of this agricultural education. With this knowledge, young consumers could be more aware of the choices they make. Eventually this will increase farm profits, as they understand that to receive premium products they must pay more.
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