NCI in the Wheat Booth at Living Ag Classroom

Each year, the Living Ag Classroom educates 4th grade students on the diversity of agriculture in the state of North Dakota, and its role in feeding the nation and the rest of the world. Last week, many agricultural organizations and commodity groups in the state gathered at the Red River Valley fairgrounds to highlight different areas of agriculture.

Back In-Person:

The NCI Communications team traveled to the Red River Valley Fairgrounds to help teach 4th graders about North Dakota wheat.

Due to the 2020-2021 all-virtual transition caused by the pandemic, last year’s Living Ag Classroom was also hosted online. The participating groups created short videos for the kids to watch instead of meeting in-person.

View the 2021 presentation videos and informational handouts here: https://www.nd.gov/ndda/ag-classroom/living-ag-classroom 

There was definitely excitement in the building this year after a year away. It was extremely beneficial to be back hands-on with demonstrations with samples for the kids to feel and observe.

NCI at the Wheat Booth:

The North Dakota Wheat Commission was one of the twelve presenting groups on this year’s roster. The NCI communications team was more than happy to help out at the booth when asked if any volunteers were available.

One key part of the NCI’s mission is to promote the region’s crops through education. While NCI’s educational courses are created for business professionals and other technical experts, it’s never too early to start teaching about agriculture. It is important for kids (just like the 4th graders at the event) to learn about where their food comes from.

Communications & Marketing Specialist Kari Schiefelbein in action at the Living Ag Classroom.

Specifically, the kids learned about the two types of wheat grown in North Dakota: durum wheat and hard red spring wheat. The kids took guesses on what foods were made from these types of wheat. To break down some numbers, one bushel of durum wheat makes about 42 boxes of pasta, and one bushel of spring wheat makes about 42 loaves of white bread or 64 loaves of whole wheat bread.

The 4th graders played “Is the Price Right?” to calculate the farmer’s share for his wheat in the price of one loaf of bread.

Next, the students were able to see the difference between the grainy semolina made from milling durum and the powdery whole wheat flour from milling hard red spring wheat. They learned about the three parts of a kernel of grain (bran, germ, endosperm), and what each is used for.

The second part of the demonstration had to do with all the factors that contribute to the cost of bread at the grocery store. By using convenient whole numbers for easy math, the kids calculated that a farmer makes approximately 10 cents for the wheat in one loaf of bread. Their equation used wheat prices at 6 dollars per bushel divided by 60 loaves of bread made per bushel. It was then explained how the rest of the cost of bread is made up of several other people working together. These include the grain elevator, the flour mill, transportation, the bakery, the grocery store, and more.

Lastly, the students learned about wheat exports. The United States produces twice as much wheat than can be consumed here, so half is sold and exported to other countries – over 60 countries to be more specific. The Philippines buys the most hard red spring wheat from the United States, and Italy buys the most durum wheat. The 4th graders were impressed at how much of an impact wheat from the United States (or North Dakota specifically) has on feeding the world.

The NCI would like to thank the North Dakota Wheat Commission for allowing us to help at this great educational event. An additional thank you goes out to all the other commodity groups and agricultural organizations who also attended to make this event a success.

To read more about the Living Ag Classroom event at the fairgrounds, check out this article and short video courtesy of InForum: https://www.inforum.com/news/fargo/red-river-valley-fairgrounds-host-living-ag-classroom