BY: Katharine Cherewyk, Executive Director, Agriculture in the Classroom – Manitoba
The future of Manitoba’s pulse and soybean research doesn’t begin in a lab or a field. It often begins much earlier – in a classroom.
At Agriculture in the Classroom – Manitoba (AITC-M), we work with students from kindergarten to Grade 12 to help them understand where their food comes from and how agriculture fits into their lives. We help young people see that farming, science, technology and the environment are all connected and that agriculture is a place where their curiosity and skills can matter.
This matters because the world they are stepping into is changing quickly.
Across Manitoba, new tools and better soil knowledge are shaping how pulses and soybeans are grown and improved. Technology is helping researchers and farmers gather better information from fields, track how crops perform and respond to challenges like disease pressure, weather variability and changing market needs. At the same time, soil health is becoming a bigger part of the conversation, with more attention on how soil supports long-term productivity and resilience.
Behind all of this is research that takes time. Developing a new pulse or soybean variety is a long process that can take a decade or more from early work to something a farmer can grow. It depends on steady support, strong teams, and people willing to build their careers in this space.
That’s where the classroom connects to the field.
In schools across Manitoba, students are starting to explore the same kinds of questions just at an earlier stage. They might compare how plants grow in different soil conditions, track changes in growth over time or talk with a local grower or researcher about how crops are tested and improved before they ever reach a farm. These activities don’t turn students into scientists overnight, but they do help them begin to think about how agriculture works and where they might fit into it
For Manitoba Pulse & Soybean Growers and its members, this is about more than awareness. It’s about people.
Today’s students are tomorrow’s agronomists, plant breeders, soil scientists, data specialists, extension staff, ag-tech innovators and producers. They are the ones who will take on the challenges of climate change, market shifts and new technologies. But many young people never consider agriculture as a career path simply because they don’t see it, hear about it or experience it in a meaningful way while they are in school.
Through classroom resources, hands-on learning, career exploration and partnerships with industry, AITC-M works to close that gap. We help students see agriculture as a modern, problem-solving sector that needs a wide range of skills from science and technology to communication, business and environmental thinking
Just as stable support is essential for long-term research and variety development, sustained support for agricultural education is essential for developing the people those efforts depend on. If Manitoba is to remain strong in pulse and soybean research, we need to pay attention not only to what is happening in the field and the lab, but also to what is happening in our schools.
Those of you growing pulses and soybeans across Manitoba already invest in the future of the ag sector every season through the crops you grow, the research you support and the land you take care of. Supporting agricultural education is another way that investment supports the industry.
If you are interested in being part of that work, AITC-M welcomes support from growers and industry members who want to help strengthen agricultural education in Manitoba. Whether through partnership, classroom involvement or financial support, there are many ways to help ensure the next generation is ready to step into the future of this sector.
Learn more at www.aitc.mb.ca