Wednesday, February 17 to Friday, February 19, Vanguard School students will be exposed to agriculture education in a novel and engaging way, courtesy of The Pennsylvania Friends of Agriculture Foundation, a division of Pennsylvania Farm Bureau (PFB) and The Huston Foundation.

Pennsylvania Farm Bureau’s Mobile Agriculture Education Science Lab creates an opportunity for students to learn about agriculture in a fun and hands-on way. 

“With fewer students having a tie to farming, we created the Ag Lab to help teachers educate more students about the importance of agriculture,” said PFB President Carl T. Shaffer.

Once stationed at the school, students will enter the lab to perform science experiments that teach lessons focused on farm, food, fiber and the environment.  A certified teacher travels with the lab to lead each class in the science experiments.  The Mobile Lab instruction will be supported by the special educators and clinical professionals from The Vanguard School.  The lab is equipped with all the materials and supplies needed for the experiments. 

Examples of the experiments that are taught in the lab include: germinating seeds under different conditions, creating crayons from soybeans, and testing the water capacity of different soils.