Farmers are feeding and fueling a growing world. They want the public to understand aspects of modern farming, and the industry needs talent to fill important jobs of the future. Ohio Corn & Wheat (OCW) realizes the critical role teachers play in helping to meet these goals. Through our education program, Feed the World, OCW has supported teachers with more than 10 years of excellent curriculum and professional development workshops developed by educationprojects.org (EP). The National Corn Growers Association is leveraging the great work started in Ohio to provide resources for science teachers across the country.
Nourish the Future (NTF) is a national education initiative developed by science teachers for science teachers, sponsored by National Corn Growers Association. The goals of NTF are to inspire a network of educators to foster critical thinking, connect students to modern agriculture, and provide sound science-based resources that meet teachers’ and students’ needs in the classroom.
A number of key resources are targeted toward meeting these goals. Nourish the Future recruits teachers from all states for the Nourish the Future Teacher Leader Community, a national network of peers collaborating on new lessons, sharing learning opportunities and learning together. Applications are accepted from across the country, with only 20 teachers selected each year to be part of this elite program. The inaugural group included two teachers from Ohio, Amy Aspenwall (Loveland) and Lyndsey Manzo (Westerville). The 2021 group includes three Ohio teachers—Jeff Jostpille (Ottawa), Jenni Domo (Chillicothe), and Cody Vennekotter (Ottawa)—with Amy Aspenwall continuing with the program in the role of coach.
NTF offers professional development workshops and webinars. Other resources include science curriculum focused on key topic areas such as ethanol, sustainability, and trade. Ohio Corn & Wheat supports NTF’s national initiative by providing these lessons on the Feed the World website. Visit NourishTheFuture.org to see a list of upcoming workshops, webinars, resources, and ways you can get involved.
