Education doesn’t just have to be math and reading- spice up your homeschooling lesson plans with agriculture education for the kids. Take this time at home to teach your kids where their food comes from. Starting in June we will begin to see Idaho strawberries, asparagus and blueberries in our local farm stands and grocery stores.

From June- October is Idaho’s peak growing season. Follow this link for educational posters and worksheets highlighting Idaho agriculture products.

You have all seen a cow in Idaho, whether it’s in the hills grazing on rangeland or a feedlot with a bunch of other cows. Well, in Idaho cows out number people! Some of the cows you see are used for milk and some of the cows you see are used for beef. Beef products include hamburgers and steaks; whereas, dairy products include milk, cheese, yogurt and everyone’s favorite- Ice Cream!! In Idaho, we are lucky to be able to enjoy Idaho beef and dairy products year around. However, not all products in Idaho are available year around.
Knowing what’s in season can help with your grocery shopping. Buying local products keeps your money in the state. It also assures you that you’re buying produce at the peak of freshness. Produce from out of state is picked early and ripens on a truck during delivery. Check out this what’s fresh calendar to know when to buy Idaho products.

It’s important for your kids to know that Idaho doesn’t grow everything they see in the grocery store. Oranges, pineapples, limes, lemons and so much more are brought to the grocery stores from other states and countries. Just like other countries and states can’t grow potatoes, wheat and other products we can grow in Idaho. When we send Idaho products to other countries that’s called exporting. In Idaho, you might think we export the most potatoes but actually we export more dairy products than any other commodity, making dairy our top money maker! A commodity is an agriculture product that is bought or sold. In Idaho we produce more than 185 different commodities. Can you name 10 of them?
Take this time at home to learn more about the importance of Idaho agriculture!