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This year’s annual Agriculture Literacy Week broke records while enriching children’s agricultural awareness and helping them make connections with farming.

More than 1,500 volunteers read to over 70,000 students during Virginia Agriculture in the Classroom’s annual Agriculture Literacy Week, March 18-22. Participants in the event read AITC’s 2024 Book of the Year, Logan’s Greenhouse by JaNay Brown-Wood, and donated more than 3,100 copies of the book to public and private schools, community clubs, and local libraries.

“This was a record-breaking year, with the most books donated so far,” said Tammy Maxey, AITC executive director. Thanks to volunteers who dedicated their time to sharing agriculture’s story and donating books, thousands of children had an opportunity to connect with farming and learn why it’s so important to their communities.”

In addition to reading books during Agriculture Literacy Week, volunteers engaged children with the sources of their food and fiber through hands-on educational activities, demonstrations, and Q&A sessions.

In Isle of Wight County, Cooperative Extension agents Tabatha Davis and Livvy Preisser and program assistant Brandy Compton, along with partnering agricultural organizations, read to students at local elementary schools. During the readings, they led energetic discussions about students’ favorite fruits and vegetables, how agriculture impacts their daily lives, and the role farmers play in getting food from fields to forks.

“Ag Literacy Week helps bridge the gap between farming and youth,” Compton said. “A lot of youth will never step foot on a farm. It’s incredibly important that children and future generations know that food just doesn’t appear at the grocery store—a lot of faith, stewardship and man hours are behind it all.”

Now in its 14th year, Agriculture Literacy Week is AITC’s largest educational event and provides a fun, interactive way to increase children’s knowledge of farming and the importance of where their food comes from.

Volunteer readers also included Virginia’s first lady, Suzanne Youngkin; Virginia Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Matthew Lohr; Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Joseph Guthrie; members of Virginia’s legislature; county Farm Bureau leaders; employees of VDACS and Farm Credit; and FFA and 4-H club members and other agricultural organizations.

To learn more about Agriculture Literacy Week and how to support Virginia AITC, visit virginia.agclassroom.org.