FARM Science Lab: A classroom on wheels

By Jordan Kennedy

Students across Michigan will now have the opportunity to learn more about how science and agriculture intersect — without even leaving their school campus.

This week the Michigan Farm Bureau unveiled the FARM (Food, Agriculture & Resources in Motion) Science Lab, a 40-foot mobile classroom equipped with the latest teaching technologies and STEM-based lessons that help increase agricultural awareness outside of the traditional classroom.

“This will be a great item to take around the state to help young people understand agriculture and science and the intersection of those things,” Gov. Snyder said after touring the lab, which was on display at the Michigan Farm Bureau’s annual meeting in Grand Rapids.

The FARM Science Lab offers students a unique, hands-on experience of agriculture and how it applies to their everyday lives. The lab provides a Michigan-certified science teacher, 10 work stations and materials for teachers and administrators to provide before, during and after class sessions.

26 county Farm Bureaus throughout Michigan helped raise the funds required to make the FARM Science Lab a reality, and interest has already been expressed in the mobile lab making a stop at 10 elementary schools in the Grand Rapids area.

Projects like the FARM Science Lab help students gain a better understanding of agriculture while inspiring the next generation of our state’s leaders and innovators to build a career in one of Michigan’s largest and fastest-growing industries.