Northarvest Bean Growers Association has 'a place at the table' in ag ed programs

Garden in a glove.jpg — North Dakota Ag in the Classroom's many activities include "Garden in a Glove," in which students can grow their own garden in a glove. Heather Lang, Agriculture Business Development Coordinator for the North Dakota Department of Agriculture, said pinto beans often are used in the activity.

By Ann Bailey

May 01, 2025 at 5:30 AM

North Dakota and Minnesota Ag in the Classroom programs bring information to the table about edible beans and other commodities in their states.

The state programs are part of National Agriculture in the Classroom, which provides lesson plans to teachers in grades kindergarten to 12 that can be incorporated into their curriculums, North Dakota and Minnesota Ag in the Classroom program leaders told farmers who attended Northarvest Bean Growers Association Bean Day on Jan. 17, 2025.

In 2023, Agriculture in the Classroom state and territory programs trained 22,900 teachers in agricultural literacy and reached 2.7 million students.

Heather Lang, North Dakota Agriculture Department ag business development coordinator, leads the North Dakota Ag in the Classroom program. The North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner’s budget includes about $100,000 per biennium to develop and conduct programs.

North Dakota Ag in the Classroom offers a number of classroom kits to expose students to agriculture. At top left are Living Necklaces, in which kids get to grow their own beans (or seed of their choosing) in a little baggie that can be worn as a necklace or hung in the window. Other kits shown include ag career cards, popcorn cob kit, microgreens kits, food and farm facts, a book bundle to celebrate Ag Literacy Week in March, and sugar science kits.

Lang is looking forward to coordinating the North Dakota Ag in the Classroom program, which, in the past, was done by members of commodity organizations.

“I’m very passionate about seeing this program thrive,” Lang said.

North Dakota Ag in the Classroom has free resources for teachers that include professional development, Ag in the Classroom grants and Ag Mag, a digital and interactive eight-page magazine for third-fourth- and fifth grade students that focuses on agricultural topics.

“That has been a great resource, North Dakota Ag Mag,” Lang said

North Dakota Ag Mag issues include information on topics, such as agricultural history, profiles of people in the agricultural industry and commodities. A past issue, for example, highlighted pulses, including edible beans, giving information that included the classes, production, processing and marketing of the commodity.

Meanwhile, in Minnesota, an Ag Mag issue featured specialty crops, including edible beans, highlighting where the crop is grown

Ann Marie Ward, executive director of the Minnesota Ag in the Classroom Foundation

Lang and Ann Marie Ward, Minnesota Ag in the Classroom Foundation director, also travel to commodity organization events, such as Bean Day, to share information about their programs.

Jennifer Hanson, Northarvest Bean Growers Association finance director, has been an important part of the Ag in the Classroom programs in Minnesota and North Dakota, Lang said.

“Thank you, Jennifer, for all of your work and passion,” she said.

ag in the classroom.jpg — A Minnesota Ag in the Classroom posted features dry beans and other commodities grown in the state.

One of the ways Hansen prompts Ag in the Classroom is to travel with other Northarvest Bean Growers Association leaders and board members to North Dakota Living Ag Classroom events, held in late January through March in several cities across the state to teach students about edible beans.

Minnesota Ag in the Classroom also highlights edible beans in other ways, such as hosting professional development sessions with teachers over Zoom. In January 2024, for example, teachers learned about where edible beans are grown in Minnesota, how they are produced and how they are used across the globe.

Northarvest Bean Growers Association, which has been working with Ag in the Classroom for 36 years, will be represented this summer at the National Agriculture in the Classroom conference, which will be held June 23-25, 2025, in Minneapolis, Ward said.

“I can tell you Northarvest has a place at the table,” she said.

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The farmers who are members of Northarvest Bean Growers Association also can share information about Ag in the Classroom as individuals. The National Ag in the Classroom website has agricultural facts on all 50 states and links to each state’s program.

“If you do nothing else in the years ahead, tell one person about Ag in the Classroom," Ward told the farmers attending Bean Day.

Ward also encouraged farmers to complete agriculture censuses because they provide accurate information that Ag in the Classroom can use to teach young people about agriculture.she said.

Farmers also have an opportunity to host farm camps or conduct tours of their farms and demonstrate to them how they produce their crops.

“You need to talk about your industry,” she said. “It makes a difference when you share your story, share your passion,” Ward said.

By Ann Bailey

Ann is a journalism veteran with nearly 40 years of reporting and editing experiences on a variety of topics including agriculture and business. Story ideas or questions can be sent to Ann by email at: abailey@agweek.com or phone at: 218-779-8093.