Kody Hanner
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What is Agriculture Science?
According to Britannica, agriculture science is the study of food and fiber production and processing. This includes the technology of soil cultivation, crop cultivation and harvesting, animal production, and the processing of these products for human consumption.
Regardless of modern cultures’ emphasis on studies other than farming (and honestly casting it in as an old-fashioned pursuit), food is our most driving force and literally what we need to survive. It is also one of the fastest-dying careers, with 6.8 million farms in 1935 and less than 2 million today. There is something to be said about the number of acres in production and the amount of food that one acre can produce today over a farm in 1935.
Of course, the practices of modern agriculture have many questions about the safety, sustainability, and quality of the food produced. That being said, if no one is pursuing a future in agriculture (large or small), there is no one who can embrace and lead the change!
My Journey to Agriculture Science
Throughout my childhood and teen, I had several times that I considered pursuing a career in agriculture. I grew up with parents who had jobs or businesses outside of agriculture while also embracing agricultural endeavors in the home and in their hobbies. My dad owned shipyards along the California Coast but also had a large cattle ranch, participated in rodeos and trail riding, was a hunting guide, and an avid fisherman and diver. My mom had a taxidermy shop a large garden, and loves to fish.
I participated in everything that they did, as well as, being in 4-H and FFA. Like many teens, I had my seasons where I was “too cool” for hunting or whatever else my parents were doing. But I also seemed to find my way back to it in some form. I think the problem was that no one showed me the plethora of careers that were related to agriculture that didn’t only include becoming a farmer or rancher. So I began looking into other careers while still enjoying rural life and assuming that one day I would own property and could farm for myself while working outside the home.
Education in Agriculture Science
I sought out a certificate in accounting and got a job working in accounts receivable at a garbage company. I worked there for a few years before my twins were born. At that time, I decided to stay home with them for a few years while working on advancing my education part-time and online. The obvious path was accounting and business, where I could use the credits and work experience I already had. When it came time to start working on my general education classes, I had a perfect storm of a biology class that I loved and an English instructor who saw something in me I had forgotten: my love for agriculture.
After an enlightening semester (and some nudging from my English teacher), I decided that after I finished my Associate’s Degree in Accounting and Business Management, I would transfer to a four-year university to major in agriculture science. After being accepted to California State University – Chico (a top 10 agriculture school), where I received my degree in Agricultural science with an option in Animal Science. I 100% found myself during my time at Chico State and knew that I had made the right choice. I got an amazing internship with a quality assurance manager at an organic almond processing plant, and my love for food manufacturing began!
Changing My Perspective
At this point in life, I changed some of my perspectives on where our food comes from, how it is processed, and what I want to feed my family. But I haven’t lost my love for agriculture! I see farming as a way to nourish our family and our communities. I often have mixed feelings about agriculture as a whole because of my intimate knowledge of both sides of the coin. You can read more about my thoughts on food labeling here. The bottom line is we need food, and the study of our food is AGRICULTURE.
Reaching a Generation with Agriculture Science
Agriculture, farming, homesteading, and other sustainable life skills are underserved in the homeschooling and alternative education community. This is funny because these communities are also the most conscientious of what we put into their bodies. Now, there are a lot of farm and wilderness schools popping up across the country, and I love their hearts. In fact, I often find ways to support those schools that specialize in children with developmental disabilities because those are the hardest students to pull out of the public school system. There are also some beautiful unit studies that have integrated farming or homesteading into studies for English, history, the bible, and even math.
What I found when we started homeschooling seven years ago was that there were no full-year agriculture curriculums available to homeschoolers. Agriculture is an amazing, multi-faceted applied science that includes almost every science discipline to some extent. It also has math, business, and a ton of other life skills! So, I was super disappointed that there wasn’t an agriculture science curriculum that I could grab and go to teach my kids. There were little kid color the cow curriculums and public high school commercial agriculture science textbooks that just didn’t resonate with my kids who were being raised on a small farm.
I knew that with my background and passion, I was capable of and perfect for the job of creating a homeschool agriculture curriculum. You can hear my full story of creating it on my podcast episode, “Creating Homestead Science.”
Is Homestead Science The Same As Agriculture Science?
Yes and no. Agriculture science should not automatically imply commercial agriculture. Small-scale agriculture and family farms are actually the heart of our food system. Where the seeds come from or where the animals go before or after the small farm is when it becomes part of the commercial system that many are questioning. What really matters is teaching kids, teens, and aspiring farmers the basics and love of producing food and fiber.
Encouraging kids to understand and want to grow their own food and feed their communities through local food systems has to be a big part of the future of agriculture. With the population of the world growing, commercial farming and the supply chain will simply have to be part of life as we know it (although some reform is highly suggested). However, it CAN NOT continue to be a monopoly on how everyone eats. It is too fragile of a system with too many moving parts to be the only way our nation feeds itself.
“We need a robust food system with many layers to create true food security.” -Kody Hanner
How Can Our Kids Be Part Of That Future?
Agriculture education is rapidly no longer being offered in public schools, and the homeschool options can be limited (I currently only have a one-year program for elementary aged and one year for middle/high school – although I’m working on more).
- Enroll in your local 4-H
- Tour small farms
- Discuss all the options for agriculture careers
- Think outside of the box for educational options (like books written for adults)
- Join co-ops or farm schools for enrichment classes
- Add Homestead Science to your curriculum
How Does Homestead Science Work
Homestead science is an agriculture curriculum with a focus on small-scale farming and self-sufficiency. It is a full-year science for both age groups to help teach the long-term planning that goes into creating a homestead.
Little Learner’s Homestead Science
Little Leaner’s Homestead Science exposes preschool through fifth-grade students to where their food comes from and how that fits into their lives while also teaching quality of character and rural traditions. The students have lesson three days a week for 36 weeks that is broken down into nine 4-week units including building, poultry, livestock, gardening, insects & compost, grains & forage crops, food preservation, tractors, and hunting & fishing.
The students reinforce their learning by learning about a topic, improving their “homestead” (an interactive poster) with that topic, and then learning about the improvement. Each unit has hands-on activities that are fun and educational to bring home homestead life.
Introduction to Homestead Science
Introduction to Homestead Science is a robust curriculum for middle and high school students (and aspiring homesteaders) to learn the science, history, and economics associated with small-scale agriculture. The curriculum is set up in a traditional manner of lessons, workbook pages, projects/experiments, and vocabulary quizzes to fit into a four-day-a-week schedule over 36 weeks. It is broken down into 18 two-week units that include building, tractors & small engines, poultry, companion & predator animals, dairy & fiber, meat, compost & soil, gardening, orchards, insects, grains, homecooking, food preservation, off-grid life, hunting, herbalism, first-aid, and management.
This program teaches true life skills, and each project/experiment provides the student with a tangible skill or product. This is an introductory course to agriculture, biology, chemistry, microbiology, entomology, agriculture economics, and so much more!
NO HOMESTEAD REQUIRED
Which One Do I choose?
Homestead science is split up by age, maturity, experience, and mathematics. So, if you have a child on the cusp, consider if they enjoy craft projects or bookwork more, and that can help you decide between Little Learner’s and Introduction to Homestead Science.
The Whole Family Can Learn Together
If you have kids of all ages, the family set is your best discount!
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