AITC News

Agriculture in the Classroom Canada (AITC-C), along with its ten provincial member organizations, is excited to announce the launch of thinkAG.ca, a new website aimed at getting middle years to high school students curious about careers in Canada’s agriculture and food sector.

The interactive website takes students on a journey to discover how their interests match up with careers in agriculture and food, showcased by over 70 career profiles highlighting the many diverse jobs that exist along the agricultural value chain. Students will also have access to information about post-secondary options and scholarship opportunities.

“This is the first website of its kind in Canada – guiding students to uncover how their futures can fit into the agriculture industry,” said Shayla Hertz, AITC-C’s thinkAG Manager. “We need to help students see themselves, and how their skills fit, in agriculture and food. We want them to know that people who have not grown up on a farm or with an ag background are often the most valuable additions to agriculture because they question the status quo. New and fresh perspectives are needed in an industry that’s forever growing in complexity and vital to feeding our world.”

Right now, in Canada, there are more jobs in agriculture than there are people to fill them. This website is a revolutionary way to encourage students to recognize how their interests and skills fit into the agriculture sector – rather than the other way around - and promotes finding meaningful careers in Canadian agriculture and food.

Read the full media release here.

Agriculture in the Classroom Canada (AITC-C), along with its ten provincial members, is proud to welcome the Canadian Cattlemen’s Foundation (CCF) as a Foundational and Educational Partner. The collaboration will support the development of agriculture education resources including a teacher guide for Guardians of the Grasslands, a documentary that explores the current state of one of the world’s most endangered ecosystems, the Great Plains grasslands, and the role cattle play in its survival.

Both AITC-C and CCF are committed to youth education and fostering awareness and understanding of Canadian’s agriculture and food system with students. The $50,000 contribution to AITC-C is the first-of-its-kind since the inception of CCF in 2014.

Read the full media release here.

 Agriculture in the Classroom Canada (AITC-C), along with its ten provincial member organizations, is proud to announce the national expansion of The Business of Food (BOF), thanks to a $450,000 multi-year partnership from Bayer Crop Science Canada. This new partnership will also leverage matching funding from the recently announced Canadian Agriculture Partnership program through Agriculture and Agri-food Canada.

Developed by AgScape, the Ontario member to AITC-C, the Business of Food is a comprehensive e-learning platform aimed at bringing knowledge about food and agriculture to education professionals.

“Our connection with food from an early age is vital and education drives that connection,” said Trish Jordan, Senior Business Partner, Government & Industry Affairs with Bayer. “Building good food habits and developing a positive relationship with Canada’s food system needs to be taught to students in an engaging way, and we know AITC has the right programs to make this happen.” 

Read the full media release here.

The Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, the Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, announced Agriculture in the Classroom Canada has been approved for up to $1.6 million over two years under the AgriCompetitiveness Program. The announcement marked the launch of one of AITC-C's flagship initiatives, Canadian Agriculture Literacy Month (CALM), which is now in its tenth year.

The funding will further the expansion of many of our programs including Snap AG and Little Green Thumbs while allowing us to advance our Business of Food Training Program nationally. The funding will also provide opportunities to further develop our online offerings of our Learning Management System and Canadian Educator Resource Matrix.

Read more here

Agriculture in the Classroom Canada (AITC-C), along with its ten provincial member organizations, is excited to announce its 10^th annual Canadian Agriculture Literacy Month (CALM).

Each year, CALM encourages thousands of Canadian students from K to 12 to celebrate Canada’s agriculture and food story. CALM is a hands-on program designed to be integrated into classrooms in the month of March. Educating students about the significant affect the agriculture and food sector has on our daily lives as Canadians is what makes CALM so impactful.

“This year marks an important milestone for the invaluable work done by AITC,” said the Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food. “I wholeheartedly support their mission to engage our youth in the great story our farmers have to tell about how our food is made. Hopefully, more Canadians will see the exciting and fulfilling career opportunities in the agriculture sector. Agriculture in the Classroom is helping to close the gap between urban and rural, which is more important than ever, and our Government will continue to support them in this vital work.”

Read the full media release here.

Agriculture in the Classroom Canada (AITC-C) is proud to announce the foundational funding support and partnership with Canada East Equipment Dealers’ Association (CEEDA). Together, we will work to deliver educational resources that are inclusive of the contribution equipment and technical services plays in the agricultural sector.

Through our thinkAG career initiative, our combined messaging will reach youth audiences nationally and build awareness of agriculture career opportunities beyond the farm with real-life stories from professionals in the equipment industry. With an expected abundance of open positions in the coming years within this sector, this partnership will help fill bring up curiosity with individuals who are eager to learn from experienced professionals in the equipment industry.

Read the full media release here

The G3 Grow Beyond Scholarship is back and looking to reward students across Canada who are a part of the next generation of innovative leaders.

G3, in partnership with Agriculture in the Classroom Canada (AITC-C), will award six scholarships of $4,000 each to students from across Canada* beginning their post-secondary education, in any discipline. To apply, students must establish and explain their vision for the future of agriculture in Canada in a two-to-four-minute video essay. Students must also identify how their studies will help achieve their vision for the future of Agriculture. In addition to the scholarship, the winners’ school will also receive $1000.

For full details, and to apply, visit g3growbeyond.org.

Read the full media release here.

Agriculture in the Classroom Canada (AITC-C), along with its ten provincial member organizations, has established a Board Advisory Committee (BAC) to offer insight and expertise as AITC-C continues to strive towards its strategic goals. 

The seven appointees were chosen by the AITC Board Nominations Committee and will serve a two-year term. The following individuals have been appointed to the BAC: Agassou Jones (NS), Becky Parker (BC), Kelly Green (MB), Lindsey Verhaeghe (AB), Nadine Sisk (ON), Teresa Vallotton (MB) and Trish Jordan (MB). As a volunteer group, the BAC will meet at least twice a year.

Read the full media release here.

AITC-C is proud to come together with agriculture partners to introduce youth to careers across the food sector. Together, AITC-C, EMILI, and Actua will be helping Western Canadian students from K to 12 learn about opportunities in the plant-protein, agrifood and digital agriculture sectors.

Through an co-investment project with Protein Industries Canada, Enterprise Machine Intelligence & Learning Initiative (EMILI), national STEM outreach charity Actua and Agriculture in the Classroom Canada (AITC-C) will help address the agriculture industry’s growing need for a skilled workforce. The program will engage youth in Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba, with a particular focus on Indigenous and other under-represented groups. It will be based on Actua’s existing STEM and digital skills programming, which incorporates Indigenous perspectives and land-based learning, and expand upon agriculture curriculum developed by the partners.

Read the full media release here.

As a Canadian charity, Agriculture in the Classroom Canada is excited to participate in this years’ Giving Tuesday movement – also called the global day of giving – on December 1, 2020.

This worldwide movement day is named for its timing after Black Friday and Cyber Monday, and encourages charities and individuals to join together, and donate to their favourite causes.

Leading up to the event during the month of November, AITC-C has been highlighting our foundational partnerships and thanking them for their generous support on our social media accounts. We are so excited to be able to celebrate these partnerships and inspire people to see the value in making meaningful connections to farming and food.

If you are interested in joining us this #GivingTuesday, please visit our donation page here.