Maryland Department of Agriculture Holds Ag Education Summit

Speakers, participants discuss future of ag education in the State

ANNAPOLIS, MD (July 22, 2024) – The Maryland Department of Agriculture recently hosted the first ever agriculture education summit, discussing Maryland’s ag education future and ways to address the need for more ag education and ag literacy in schools.  The well attended event included participants representing both the agricultural industry and education sectors including K-12 Education, Higher Education, agriculture centered programs and value added operations. The goal of the summit was to bring groups together to examine ways to boast this often overlooked part of education.

“The future of agriculture lies with our youth and the best way to reach them about the importance of all things agriculture is through education,” said Maryland Department of Agriculture Secretary Kevin Atticks. “I thank the educators, speakers and all who participated in this meaningful conversation.”

Following opening remarks, panelists presented programs and identified both positives and negatives within them.  The day-long summit concluded with an open Q&A session and discussion about the path forward. Key themes that were discussed throughout each presentation included:

• Differentiating Ag education (career focused) and Ag literacy (learning about agriculture)
• Identifying career pathways in agriculture
• Curriculum benefits and challenges for school systems
• Increased communication about agriculture and its role in education

A slide deck from participating panelists is available at www.mda.maryland.gov.

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