Requirement #3: Be a farmer

\(\boxed{\mathbb{REQ}\Large \rightsquigarrow}\) Act like a farmer! Think about crops or animals that are found on a farm, and think about the different kinds of farms. Then choose TWO from A or B or C

  1. With your counselor, choose two of the following topics related to food production or processing, and investigate them. Discuss your findings with your counselor

    1. Where did the food you ate for dinner last night come from? Pick one food item and learn more about each of its ingredients. Where were those ingredients grown, and how did the food item get to your table?

    2. What kind of equipment is used on a farm?

    3. How were food plants invented? Where do most food plants come from?

    4. How and why are scientists working to develop plants that don’t need as much water?

    5. If a big disaster wiped out a lot of food plants, how would we get more of them? How do seed banks work?

  2. Define and learn about two of the following, and discuss with your counselor.

    1. Farming practice categories (conventional, sustainable, till, low-till, and no-till)

    2. Conventional, organic, and biotech farming (compare and contrast)

    3. Effects of weather on farming

    4. Converting biomass into energy

    5. STEM careers in agriculture (food science, plant science, farming, agricultural engineering)

  3. Do an “agriscience” experiment and discuss the results with your counselor. Examples of experiments include — but are not limited to — the following:

    1. Grow different types of seeds and compare the seedling plants. Use fast-growing seeds such as carrots, castor beans, lima beans, onions, radishes, soybeans, or tomatoes.

    2. Select and study a specific growing variable such as the type of liquid used to water a seed, the type of light, the growing temperature, or the soil type.

      Tip

      Examples of growing studies can be found at www.agclassroom.org/teen/science/idealab.htm and www.sciencekids.co.nz/projects/plants.html

    3. People often think of microorganisms as germs, but many of the ones found in soil are good for agriculture. How can plants grow in soil if no microorganisms are present?

      Tip

      Search the internet — with your parent’s permission — and find an experiment that can be done to test the effect of microorganisms. Then perform the experiment.

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Image obtained from Fast Company (click on image for reference)

Attention

Once you have completed this requirement, make sure you document it in your worksheet!