Ohio leading the way with GrowNextGen

By Matt Reese and Dale Minyo

Anyone reading this probably already knows Ohio agriculture is often at the forefront of innovation on the national scene. This is certainly the case with the development of agricultural curriculum in the classroom through GrowNextGen, a project of Ohio’s soybean farmers and their checkoff.

The creation of GrowNextGen in Ohio led to a national version of the program called Nourish the Future being implemented in classrooms around the country. The effort all got started with farmers in Ohio who saw the opportunity to help young people understand more about agriculture, more about what happens on the farm and all the potential associated careers. The initial idea has grown exponentially.

Biology teacher Cati Riddell at Fairfield High School in Butler County has been working with GrowNextGen for nearly a decade, which has given her experiences and connections all over the country.

“I’ve had the pleasure of representing GrowNextGen at the national level at two Commodity Classics and then also at the National Biology Teachers Conference as Ohio’s Outstanding Biology Teacher of the Year.… Continue reading