Oklahoma State University Extension has launched a curriculum to educate high school and 4-H students about the Farm Bill.
“There are bits and pieces of policy curriculum taught in high schools,” said Amy Hagerman, OSU Extension specialist for agriculture and food policy. “But a Farm Bill-centered youth curriculum didn’t exist in the country.”
OSU Extension initially developed online videos on Farm Bill basics in 2019. When Hagerman and her team learned the videos were being used in high school and college classrooms, they identified the need for a customized Farm Bill curriculum.
The course is offered in a self-paced online format for 4-H youth as well as a traditional classroom environment for high school students.
Both learning options focus on the history, development, content and processes of the Farm Bill. The high school curriculum extends to careers in ag policy, titles of the Farm Bill and how youth projects are affected by Farm Bill policy.
The information, activities and assignments created by Hagerman and other OSU Extension specialists provide turn-key curriculum for high school agriculture education classrooms, homeschooled youth, college students studying policy or agriculture, or others interested in learning about the Farm Bill.
Once the 2018 Farm Bill has been updated with new legislation, OSU Extension will update its Farm Bill webpage and educational resources with the latest policy information.