Summer Adventures with Illinois Corn Growers Association

Traveling and teaching are two of my favorite things to do, and that is exactly what my summer internship entails.  This summer I am traveling hundreds of miles across the 102 counties in Illinois with Illinois Corn Growers.  Serving as the Ag in the Classroom intern thus far has taught me a lot about agriculture and also about misconceptions people have about our industry.

Teaching educators around the state about agriculture is one of the most rewarding experiences I have had thus far in my college career.  As the AITC intern I have created an interactive presentation to teach educators about the corn industry.  After presenting to groups of teachers at Summer Ag Institutes across the state, I direct them to our website (www.ilcorn.org).  Our website offers many lesson plans and other activities for teachers to print and use in their own classrooms, along with excessive amounts of helpful information in regards to the agricultural industry as a whole.  

I have had the opportunity to travel to many farm bureau offices, family farms, and colleges to present this summer, and this is just the beginning.  The questions teachers have may be challenging, but I have loved finding answers to things such as "How bad is high-fructose corn syrup in our diets?"  to "Will eating GMO's really hurt me?"  I think that the questions I will receive will only get better over the next few weeks so stay tuned to see what other questions I encounter from teachers across the state on my adventures across Illinois!