Addressing Misconceptions About Agriculture

Scientists are learning a great deal about how the brain works and how learning occurs. A significant new development in that research deals with misconceptions and misinformation. Researchers now tell us that new information is applied to old linkages in the brain. If an individual holds a misconception about a topic, they apply new learning on top of that misconception. Unless the misinformation is recognized and swept away or corrected the learner ends up with twisted concepts and warped understandings about subjects. This is very important to those educating about agriculture.  Why? Because there are so many misconceptions people hold about agriculture and the food system.

Have you always known that many of the derogatory claims made against modern agricultural practices are not sound? Are you ready to challenge many of the misconceptions people hold about agriculture, but have not had the time to research the issues yourself? We’ve done the research for you and developed a new education tool. This instruction kit will help you target some key issues and clear up misconceptions with sound, science-based, factual information. The kit’s 35 issues cover topics from DDT to global food issues, ethanol to environmental issues, and nutrition to animal production.

The easy to understand, step-by-step directions and a ready-to-use script allow any presenter to feel like the expert. You deliver complex information in a format that everyone can understand and respond to. Information to address the most complex and controversial issues has been honed by repeated trial with environmental audiences. Challenges made by those audiences have been countered with additional research. New facts were added or used to structure the presentation in such a way to make even the most skeptical person question the information they believe. For example, challenging long-held beliefs about DDT is a potential land mine. Research conducted led us to learn that Congress had passed the Bald Eagle Protection Act three years before DDT was ever used and five years before DDT was used in the United States. That one fact alone makes all but the most ardent environmentalist pause and consider our position. To back it up we also provide the references. No learner has to take our word for a position on any issue. They can read the peer-reviewed science and come to their own conclusion.

The kit comes complete with an 11- page lesson plan, background information on each issue, three sets of student cards, and a CD ROM containing two PowerPoint presentations. The well-researched issues are supported with five pages of references. References listed are easily available to any audience member or student ready to challenge the presentations. The kit is designed for classroom use at the high school and college level. Demand for this presentation has led us to also create an 18-issue speech version that can be presented in a half hour to 45 minutes. Both versions are included in the kit.

Follow this link to order the Addressing Misconceptions About Agriculture Instructor’s Kit.

Back to Index

Seeds for Success A Biannual Newsletter on Agriculture in the Classroom