Adel, Iowa, USA
March 28, 2011
Jeff Anderson, Regional Sales Agronomist for Stine Seed Company, is giving back to the community by volunteering his time to teach grade school kids about the importance of agriculture. Over the past several weeks, Anderson has given educational presentations to urban schools in Omaha, Neb. in conjunction with the CropLife Ambassador Network. Anderson believes this is time well spent because many kids are several generations removed from the farm and it’s important to teach them about the effect farming has on our daily lives.
The CropLife Ambassador Network is an outreach program designed to educate grade-school classrooms about the value of American agriculture. Sponsored by Mid America CropLife Association, more than 300 agricultural professionals volunteer their time to conduct free programs throughout the Midwest. Teachers can request that a volunteer come speak to their classroom and CropLife will provide the instructor with the materials necessary to educate the kids about topics like Farming and the Water Cycle, America’s Abundance, Careers in Agriculture, Farmers: Stewards of the Land, Feeding Planet Earth, Farm Fueled: Biofuels and Wide World of Weeds.
Stine Seed Company’s Corn Product Technical Advisor Keith Campbell was the first employee to get involved with the program.
“I was first introduced to the CropLife program by a former colleague,” said Campbell. “Now, ten years later, I’m still giving presentations and loving every minute of it.”
His positive experiences inspired his colleagues Regional Sales Agronomists Dustin Ellis, Bill Kessinger and Jeff Anderson and Agronomy Director Brian Hartman to volunteer their time.
“It’s important to educate kids about agriculture because 4 out of 10 people farmed 50 years ago, and only 2 out of 100 farm today,” says Anderson. “I’m grateful that Stine allows me to participate in the program. I really enjoy working with the kids and spreading positive messages about the Ag community.”
Anderson has been a member of Stine Seed Company’s expert agronomy team since May 2002 and currently serves growers in southwest Iowa and northwest Missouri. He guides farmers through every step of the growing process and helps them make seed selections, manage their chemical programs, treat fertility issues and manage soil conditions to increase their yields and profitability.
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