Cedar County 4-H youth participate in Protect the Plate

HARTINGTON — Over 200 local students took part in the 2024 4-H Ag Innovators Experience - Protect the Plate Challenge through this past spring/ summer. This STEM-based activity challenges them to use their critical thinking skills to take part in solving real-world agriculture issues around food safety.

The 2024 4-H Challenge explores how different technologies have transformed agriculture and how farmers must continue to innovate, learn, and adopt new technologies to grow more food in a sustainable manner while focusing on food safety. Food safety starts at the beginning with the planting process. Farmers need to make sure that their plants are protected from pests and disease. The 2024 Ag Innovators Experience will help local youth gain a better understanding of how our food gets to the grocery store and how it is made safe for us to eat.

Three Cedar County teens, Ava Stewart, Newcastle; Breah Steffen, Hartington; and Kendra Schmit, Coleridge, led the efforts to share the program with youth across Cedar County. The collaborative, interactive challenge helped Cedar County youth: · Understand how advancing techniques in each part of the food production system are necessary to feed the world.

· Understand the sciences that can empower farmers, consumers, and others in the food value chain to contribute to environmental sustainability.

· Identify and illuminate the careers that today’s food and agriculture industries require.

The 4-H Ag Innovators Experience, presented by National 4-H Council and Bayer, push youth to use collaborative skills, public speaking and creativity while also driving awareness of, and interest in, agriculture innovation and agriculture careers. Students in Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska and North Carolina will have the opportunity to participate in the Protect your Plate Challenge throughout the summer.