The kids of DeKalb get a chance to learn about agriculture during February thanks to the Farm Bureau.

Farm Bureau volunteers give agriculture presentations to elementary school students in DeKalb County classrooms. The presentations teach children grades one to four about different aspects of agriculture and are held in classrooms.

The variety of presentations teach children about seeds, cows and mapping Illinois agriculture, among other topics.

According to the National Agriculture in the Classroom website, the presentations will “seek to improve student achievement by applying authentic, agricultural-based content as the context to teach core curriculum concepts in science, social studies, language arts and nutrition.”

The volunteers are trained and given the necessary supplies to teach the agriculture lesson by the DeKalb County Farm Bureau.

Rhodora Collins, agricultural literacy coordinator of the DeKalb County Farm Bureau, is in charge of the education programs at the bureau. She said volunteers include anyone with agricultural background, such as farmers, agribusiness people, high school Agricultural Leadership Program members or anyone with a profession with farming backgrounds.

“It’s incredibly important for all ages to understand where their food comes from and where it is grown,” Collins said. “We began this program around 20 to 25 years ago.”

The event planning starts in December, when teachers get postcards and emails encouraging them to hold an agricultural presentation for their classroom.

In January, letters and classroom lists are mailed to the proposed volunteers, welcoming them to take part in the lessons so volunteers can pick the classrooms in which they will present. New volunteers can attend training session before picking classrooms.

Eric Lawler, farm manager and DeKalb resident, has been doing presentations for years.

“I talk specifically about corn production and go through the different aspects of how it is produced and details about it,” Lawler said. “It is always a pleasure to go talk to the kids.”

Penny Jensen, third grade teacher at Jefferson Elementary, had a presentation in her classroom the second week in February this year.

“The class really enjoyed it. My class in particular had a lot of questions,” Jensen said. “They wanted to know the different jobs they can do with agriculture. They got into talking about their future and it was very hands-on. They got to make their own corn, all different types of corn such as sweet, fried and popcorn.”