In our ongoing relationship with Agrilinks, InnovATE has developed a new feature, the Ag Educator’s Corner. This series of monthly blog posts provides insight & tips to agricultural educators.

In the most recent installment to our Ag Educators Corner blog series, Matthew Eddy, an Agriscience teacher of 20 years at Southeast Polk High School in Pleasant Hill, Iowa, shares about his experiences. Given his 20 years of teaching, Matthew not only knows how engage and interest students, but also how to use hands on, applied learning to keep their sparks of interest lit.

He was trying to engage students who were particularly interested in animal science, but soon realized that there were no opportunities for them to gain hands on experience. That’s why when the opportunity arose to form a partnership with the Iowa State Fair, he jumped on it. The Iowa State Fair was looking for help staffing a new agricultural display. By creating a partnership, his students, by association, get to work with major commodity groups in our state, including beef, pork, egg, turkey and dairy along with producers of sheep and goats.