When entering Bev Meyer's kindergarten classroom at Logan View Elementary School in Hooper, Nebraska, the students are amazed to learn that the source of their food and other essentials of life come from farms. Bev sees it as her responsibility to provide an opportunity for each of her students to develop an awareness of how important farms are in their community and what it means to the students.

Bev focuses on farm animals to enhance the students' understanding of the products we use from them. Each day the students are involved in hands-on activities, reading literature books or listening to a guest speaker to further the connection of farms to the food on their plates.

Jane Nyffeler, a 4th grade teacher at Brownell Elementary School in Lincoln, Nebraska, wants her students to understand cattle ranching. Jane and her students participate in the Agriculture in the Classroom Ag Pen Pal Program and correspond with a family that has a ranch. Through classroom visits with the family and their letters, the students have gained an understanding of the cattle industry and what it's like living on a ranch.

Jane uses all these exeriences to creatively use agriculture to meet State Standards. The students will have a new level of awareness as to the importance of cattle production as well as ranch life.