SEPTEMBER 6, 2024: An elite group of hand-selected science educators from across the country recently culminated their year-long leadership program at Bayer Crop Science in Chesterfield, MO–, including Amour Beals of Bishop Kelley High School.

Nourish the Future is a national STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) initiative connecting students to modern agriculture. Its mission is to help teachers inspire their students to learn science, solve problems, and see the possibilities of careers in agriculture.

Beals was selected as one of 38 educators to participate in the Teacher Leader Community program from Nourish the Future. Industry partners like the United Soybean Board and the National Corn Growers Association fund the program to help farmers educate the public on modern farming and the science behind their practices.

The culminating Capstone Conference event in the St. Louis area included guided tours, curriculum activities, and an expert panel discussion. Attendees engaged with Bayer representatives and learned more about their initiatives in education and innovation.

“My ah-ha moment has been seeing the sheer amount of technology that's in agriculture. Kids don't realize the extent of it. I’d love to show them the drones, 3D printers, automated irrigation systems, and other technological tools in agriculture,” shared Beals.

Director of Education Gary Abud, Jr. summed up the importance of connecting the agriculture industry to the classroom: “effective STEM teaching requires real-world context, which students and teachers find accessible in agriculture.”

In addition to unique collaboration with industry experts from companies like Bayer, Beals’ involvement in the program focused on leadership and curriculum development skills.

“Learning science through agriculture inspires students to pursue critical scientific careers—many of which are currently going unfilled in the agriculture industry,” added Abud, Jr.

Upon completion, teacher leaders will go on to equip fellow educators with engaging lessons that teach mainstream science skills and concepts through agriculture, in an effort to promote students’ pursuit of scientific careers to feed and fuel future generations.

“By bringing back what she learned at the Capstone Conference, Amour Beals is unlocking hands-on, contextual science that’s highly relevant to anyone who eats. More students deserve the opportunity to learn science through agriculture.”

“Agriculture is important for students to learn about because agriculture is all around them. Even if you live in the middle of the city, your food has to come from somewhere. It's really important that our students know where their food comes from,” explained Jennifer Jones, a Nourish the Future coach and Nebraska science educator.

“The population of the world is getting bigger every day and it's a challenge our students will have to encounter at some point. Agriculture is one of the solutions.”