From Dairy Farms to Classrooms! With Johanna Bossard

Summary: Join us as we dive into the inspiring journey of Johanna Bossard, a passionate dairy farmer and agriculture teacher. Johanna shares her path into the dairy industry, highlighting the crucial role of social media in advocating for family farms and combating misinformation. She talks about the unique partnership of four farm families that collectively milk 4,400 cows and manage 10,000 acres, emphasizing collaboration and opportunities for future generations. Johanna also entertains with a humorous tale of her first encounter with her husband's dairy farming family. Together they shed light on the importance of hands-on learning in agricultural education, recounting experiences with new skills like welding and integrating practical applications of core subjects into Johanna's classes. She advocates for breaking the stereotype of traditional academic paths and underscores the value of trade jobs and alternative careers. Val also discusses the significance of agritourism in raising awareness about agriculture and providing enriching experiences for the public.   You can find Johanna on Instagram @barbland_and_white_eagle_dairy   Keywords: Dairy farming Agriculture education Social media advocacy Family farm partnership Collaboration Next generation Hands-on learning Trade jobs Alternative career paths Agritourism Breaking stereotypes   Takeaways: Social media is a powerful tool for advocating family farms and dispelling agricultural misinformation. Collaboration and partnerships are vital for the success and sustainability of family farms. Family farms focus on creating opportunities for the next generation, not just numbers. Agricultural education offers hands-on learning for all students, regardless of their background. Sharing personal stories bridges the gap between farmers and the public. Hands-on learning in agricultural education equips students with valuable skills and experiences. Agricultural education goes beyond traditional academics, incorporating practical applications of math, science, and English. It's important to offer students opportunities in trade jobs and alternative career paths, challenging the notion that all must follow a traditional academic route. Agritourism educates the public about agriculture and provides unique experiences. Promoting diverse career paths and opportunities in agriculture requires breaking stereotypes and challenging societal expectations.   Sound Bites: "We can actually educate and use social media for good as well." "We're just proud to be able to employ 85 farm families in upstate New York and to be able to bring quality food to the table." "You don't have to have the same last name. And we will say that all the time because we are very, very close and operate as farm families." "That's not real teaching. Okay. Like that's not like down in the trenches, certainly not ag education teaching." "Sometimes ag education is staying one step ahead of the kids. It's also being transparent and saying, it's okay to make mistakes. It's okay to fail as long as we worked hard, we tried." "Not everybody is cut out for straight A's, not everybody is cut out for college, not everybody is cut out to work in an office in the city every day."   Tune in to gain insights and be inspired by the dynamic world of agriculture and education with Johanna Bossard and Val Lavigne!