Cassidy Sawyer, bachelor of education student at the University of Lethbridge, joined Ag for Life’s team as a program coordinator for summer 2023. Sawyer helped Ag for Life deliver agriculture education programs across Alberta—never forgetting to bring her positive attitude and genuine smile.
Coming from a family of fourth-generation grain farmers, Cassidy Sawyer has always known the value and hard work of Albertan producers. Growing up on Sawyer Farms, she was happy to be surrounded by agriculture.
“One of my favourite memories was definitely riding in the buddy seat alongside my dad in farm equipment. After learning how to drive the equipment, my dad and I shared a lot of laughs, told a lot of stories, took some naps, and ate some great food,” says Sawyer.
But Sawyer also saw her parents endure the ebbs and flows of the agriculture industry. This taught her how to take initiative, work hard, and be flexible during tough times.
“When things go sideways on the farm, it is important to stay calm and switch gears quickly,” says Sawyer.
“Sometimes farmers are dealt with unlucky hands. We have had droughts and years with too much rain. No matter the situation, we can always be thankful for our family and for the land we live on.”
Sawyer has always been connected to agriculture and now that she is in university, Sawyer strives to take agriculture from the field to the classroom.
With fond childhood memories growing up on the farm, Sawyer always knew that she wanted to be a part of agriculture. After a school field trip to AdFarm in junior high, Sawyer wanted to pursue agriculture marketing. But over the years, her dream pivoted, and she set her sights on education.
“I realized that being a teacher does not mean I have to give up agriculture. I can always educate people about agriculture, in and out of the classroom. I will also remain true and close to my agriculture roots,” says Sawyer.
Sawyer then attended the University of Lethbridge to study English education—she is now in the final year of her combined bachelor’s degree, with a minor in career and technology studies that focuses on agriculture.
“With this minor, and my agriculture background, I will be able to educate children on the real facts of agriculture,” says Sawyer.
This summer, Sawyer joined Agriculture for Life as a program coordinator, travelling across the province to deliver agriculture education. Whether it was in the schools presenting the Classroom Agriculture Program (CAP) or on the road with our educational trailers, Sawyer cultivated experiences and connected students and the public to agriculture.
“My favourite part about this job was seeing kids realize that the food they eat every day was grown by farmers. My biggest takeaway was understanding the need for agriculture education,” says Sawyer.
“I often heard many people say, ‘keep doing what you are doing.’ Even farmers learned something new from our trailers. Ag for Life provides an education experience for everyone.”
Between running our numerous programs, Sawyer also developed an extensive Farm to Table unit plan—a resource for culinary teachers to take to their classrooms and teach students about where their food comes from. Throughout the unit, students will dive into the agriculture world with an opportunity to hear from producers and then apply this knowledge to the real world by cooking up their very own dish.
“Although my plan is to be an English teacher, my dream would be to teach a farm-to-table culinary class. I would love to see my vision put into motion within the classroom,” says Sawyer.
Seeing a growing divide between people and their food, Sawyer knows there’s a need for agriculture education to dispel misinformation on social media.
“People need to know about their food and where it comes from and to understand the importance of agriculture. If we are going to feed 9.7 billion people by 2050, people need to support and trust farmers who are working hard every day,” says Sawyer.