Last Friday in a room full of Wyoming farmers and ranchers, Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon signed a proclamation designating the week of March 2nd as “Wyoming Agricultural Literacy Week.” “It seems appropriate to talk about agriculture in the great state of Wyoming with you all here,” Governor Gordon stated as he took pen to paper declaring the importance of agriculture literacy and Wyoming Farm Bureau Federation’s “Ag Books for Kids” program. “I’m honored to have this opportunity to do a Governor’s proclamation on Wyoming Agricultural Literacy.” Educating Wyoming school children about agriculture is the goal of the Wyoming Farm Bureau (WyFB) Young Farmer and Rancher (YF&R) Committee “Ag Books for Kids” project. 2020 marks the sixteenth year of the project. The WyFB YF&R Committee organizes the project and the county Farm Bureaus across the state donate agriculture books to Wyoming elementary schools. “The Ag Books for Kids project is vitally important to keeping our youth connected to agriculture,” said WyFB YF&R State Chair Chelsea Baars. “Even in Wyoming, there are still plenty of kids who don’t understand the word “agriculture” or where their food comes from.” “With this proclamation, the Governor promotes the importance of farmers and ranchers and the roles they play in all of our daily lives,” Baars continued. The “Wyoming Agriculture Literacy Week” proclamation reads: “Literacy is a top priority for school children and non-fiction books are an important tool in teaching children about the world around them.” The proclamation continues: “Many aspects of our daily lives, including the food we eat, clothes we wear, and medicine we depend on, are made possible because of agriculture. Wyoming’s agricultural industry helps maintain open spaces and wildlife habitat and agricultural operators serve as environmental stewards, maintaining and improving soil and natural resources to pass on to future generations.” As part of the project, many classrooms also have visits from local farmers and ranchers. Thanks to the grassroots efforts of the county Farm Bureaus across the state the book of the year is read to classrooms and the students get to learn more about farming and ranching first-hand. “When kids meet an actual farmer or rancher, it helps them learn about the hard work and effort that goes into the food they eat, and the clothes they wear,” Baars explained. “Connecting with children early-on leaves a lasting impact which helps them understand how agriculture is important to their everyday life.” Wyoming students and teachers are encouraged to visit their school’s elementary library to check out the 2020 book "Right This Very Minute" by Lisl H. Detlefsen. Next, visit www.wyfb.org and click the education tab for contest flyers. Three contests are offered for Wyoming students to encourage use of the book. The 2020 contests are: Coloring Contest for K-1st grades; Poster Contest for 2nd and 3rd grades; and a Marketing Ad Contest for 4th and 5th grades. For questions, kclark@wyfb.org or 307.532.2002. The county contest deadline is April 3, 2020. The Wyoming Farm Bureau Federation is the state’s largest general agriculture organization. The purpose of the YF&R program is to develop leaders for the betterment of agriculture and Farm Bureau. Visit www.wyfb.org.