Three high school FFA organizations enjoyed some good food and food for thought, thanks to Ohio Corn & Wheat! These schools were chosen in a drawing during Farm Science Review. Feed the World lead educator Heather Bryan and Ohio Corn & Wheat’s Brad Moffitt visited Westfall High School, Botkins High School, and Cory-Rawson High School.
Moffitt shared about the new H2Ohio initiative that Governor DeWine has put into place to help improve the water quality of the Lake Erie Basin. He also discussed why professional organizations like OCW are important to belong to and what they do for consumers.
Bryan spoke about algal blooms and how they form, and how things such as agriculture, wastewater systems, and lawn application can contribute to poor water quality and limiting factors. After talking about how the governor’s initiatives can help to improve overall water quality, the groups problem-solved different methods, prioritizing them according to cost and effectiveness. Bryan said, “It was very interactive and led by the students. They seem concerned about water quality and are upset that farmers are receiving the brunt of the blame. They are also upset that farmers are the “only ones” made to invest in expensive remediation techniques.” She said they asked questions such as, “Why isn’t Toledo improving their wastewater facilities?”
Feed the World has a great water quality unit with a variety of lessons. Check it out!