Agricultural Literacy Curriculum Matrix

This elementary activity illustrates the wide array of career paths available in agriculture. Students will create a paper "pinwheel" illustration of the many hats that farmers wear.

• How Many Hats Does a Farmer Wear activity sheet, 1 per student
• Crayons or markers
• Scissors
• Metal brads, 1 per student

1. Discuss the following agricultural careers: 
   • Veterinarian - Must be able to recognize early signs of disease in animals, assist at birth of animals, and administer medicine to sick animals
   • Engineer - Must know how to plan and construct fences and buildings, build irrigation ditches and control the flow of water, and use natural resources to grow products useful to people
   • Mechanic - Must be able to operate and maintain both simple and complicated machinery, make repairs, and keep machines in good working order
   • Business Manager - Must be able to balance accounts, sell farm produce to the market, be responsible for making payments and meeting payrolls, and keep track of equipment, products, and land
   • Nutritionist - Must know how to prepare feed rations for best growth and production of livestock
   • Forest Ranger - Must be able to recognize the various kinds of trees, detect fires and know the methods for controlling them, and clear trees from land and prevent soil erosion 
   • Scientist - Must be able to conduct experiments that help answer agricultural questions like which crops grow best in a particular climate or soil
   • Weather Forecaster - Must understand weather and climate, be aware of possible weather changes, and know how to prepare for these changes
2. Provide each student with a copy of the How Many Hats Does a Farmer Wear activity sheet, and ask them to color the farmer and the hats. 
3. Instruct students to cut out the three circles on their activity sheets and stack them on top of each other so that the largest circle (the one with the career descriptions) is on the bottom and the smallest circle (the one with the farmer) is on the top. Fasten them in the center with a brad so that all three circles spin separately.
4. Ask the students to find a hat in the middle circle to put on the farmer's head and then match up the words that best describe what the farmer does when wearing that hat.
5. Discuss the following questions: Why is it important for a farmer to have a basic understanding of all these careers? What other careers must a farmer use? Do you know people in your community who specialize in any of these eight career areas?

Adapted from National FFA Food for America program.