Tasting Event for Beans

Objectives

• Offer an eating experience and the opportunity to try something new from a local farm.



• Increase awareness of the “Healthy Local Foods” message.



• Increase participation in the food service program.



• Create a positive food service experience.

Process

Questions for Farmers

Farmers know their farms and their production systems very well. It can be difficult for them to realize just how little students may know about farming in general, life on the farm, or a particular crop or livestock. Here are sample questions that students may have, to help farmers prepare themselves for speaking to a class or at a school cafeteria.

• What kinds of beans do you grow?



• How many beans do you get per acre? (Truckloads, or some other way to visualize the yield. Note that an acre is about the same size as a football field.)



• What other crops do you grow in rotation with beans?



• What do you do to protect your crop from insect pests and diseases?



• When do you plant and harvest your crop?



• What kinds of equipment do you use to plant and harvest beans?



• What do you do with the beans once they are harvested?