Don’t forget to thank a farmer

Entering the main doors of Tec Voc High School, the smell of pancakes and sausages was in the air. Nothing beats the dreadful cold of a March morning like a Made in Manitoba Breakfast.

The Made in Manitoba Breakfast (MIMB) program travels across Manitoba feeding breakfast to students and connecting them to where that food comes from. Students enjoy a morning feast served by local agricultural producers from a variety of sectors.

“We have being going steady flipping pancakes and cooking sausages since seven this morning,” said Culinary teacher Livia Gloux. “Thanks to a great group of around 10 volunteer staff plus our culinary team, we have prepared 1,500 pancakes and 1,100 sausages to feed 550 hungry Grade 9 and 10 students.”

Before the event, students took part in an educational presentation to explore the agriculture industry and learn about its importance to the provincial economy, job opportunities in the industry and the education and skills required.

The MIMB is made possible with funding from the Monsanto Fund, a grant which also supports the development of more curriculum-related resources for teachers.

So what’s on the menu at a Made In Manitoba Breakfast? Tec Voc students and staff enjoyed pork sausage, flax pancakes containing canola oil, eggs, canola-based margarine, fruit and honey, and chocolate milk. All the foods and ingredients are grown and/or produced by Manitoba farmers.

Jessica Brady, Made in Manitoba Breakfast Coordinator said, “Throughout university, the more I learned about agriculture, the more I wanted to help dispel myths and promote this diverse and important industry. Agriculture in Canada not only feeds us, it clothes and houses us. Living on a farm and being part of agriculture I really see the need to encourage future generations to take part in agriculture.

Agriculture in the Classroom gives me the opportunity to share my knowledge with and engage youth in agriculture.” Ms. Brady added, “We are so fortunate to have a great team of volunteers from the school today.

Everything just ran so smoothly. Of course we come fully prepared to do all the cooking and serving with our awesome team of producers and farmers, but I must say today was extremely relaxing and I had a chance to talk to the fabulous volunteers.”

MIMB visits about 30 schools and feeds over 10,000 students across the province every school year. To find out more about Agriculture In The Classroom or apply to have your own Made In Manitoba Breakfast at your school, visit www.aitc.mb.ca