The “a” in pizza stands for agriculture in an upcoming event that uses a fan-favourite food to teach students about farming.
For 20 years, the Grand River Agriculture Society (GRAS) has been hosting its Pizza Perfect event and teaching Grade 3 students about where their food comes from.
Students will rotate through 20 learning stations during the in-person event March 25 and 26, said the organization’s Dorothy Key.
“These hands-on learning stations are led by volunteers and commodity groups to learn about agriculture and where their food comes from. And in this case, we use the example of pizza. Our stations are grouped into dairy, soils and vegetables, and meats and grains.”
Pizza, a favourite among students, represents all four food groups identified by Canada’s Food Guide to Healthy Eating.
Though the in-person events registration is full and has a waitlist, there is still a way to take part in the event virtually. During the pandemic, GRAS developed the virtual Pizza Perfect event and has since kept it in place for schools that are either too far away or missed registration and are on the waitlist.
The virtual program will be the week of March 24-28.
Students will also be able to see their food processes and interact with farm animals.
“At the in-person event, we have a dairy cow, and there’s a demonstration on milking. We have a veterinarian in that section who teaches about animal health tools in their career,” noted Key.
“We have a cheese-making station, where we have someone working with the students to teach them how the cheese is made from the cow’s milk. We have the pig mobile from the pork producers with a sow and piglets.”
GRAS has received plenty of great feedback from students and faculty about how much they enjoyed the experience, noted Key.
“There has been a wonderful response to the program, both from teachers, the volunteers and commodity groups involved in presenting, and the students,” said Key.
“We get some students from the city who step off the bus, and of course, the smell of the barn is the first thing they’ve realized. But some have never seen a cow or a pig up close, in person. So, it’s been fantastic.”
That kind of experience is a key part of programs like Pizza Perfect, she said.
“Pizza Perfect provides an excellent opportunity for students to learn about agriculture, nutrition, food processing, and potential careers in ag. It also helps to bring awareness to why agricultural land is important, how livestock is cared for, and safety protocols that are put in place.
“It’s teaching them that food doesn’t just come from the grocery store. Some people work daily to grow and raise your food, so education is huge for us.”
