Colfax student wins ag in the classroom essay contest
Micheal Christiansen
MADISON – Michael Christensen, a fifth-grade student from Colfax, is the state winner of the Wisconsin Ag in the Classroom 5th Grade Essay Contest. Wisconsin fifth graders were asked to write a 500-word essay with the theme, ‘You’re Gonna Need Milk for That – Wisconsin Dairy support our bodies, communities and economy.’
Michael’s teacher is Suzanne Blomberg at Colfax Elementary School in Dunn County.
Each year the Wisconsin Farm Bureau’s Ag in the Classroom program hosts an essay contest to engage students in writing, reading and research through the context of food and agriculture. Essays were judged on content, grade-appropriate writing benchmarks, and creativity. This contest is open to all fourth and fifth grade students across the state.
Over 1,800 students wrote essays for the competition, which is sponsored by Culvers, Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin, WE Energies and the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Foundation.
Essay entries were judged at the county, district and state levels – with stiff competition in each division. Nine district winners were named state finalists and received a prize package including a medal, Wisconsin dairy books, admission to the Farm Wisconsin Discovery Center and Culvers prize pack. The state winner also received a plaque and prizes valued at over $250. Michael was the finalists for District 9.
Michael’s Winning Essay:
You’re Gonna Need Milk for That – Wisconsin Dairy Fuels Our Bodies, Communities, and Economy
Did you know that Wisconsin is America’s DairyLand? Wisconsin is a wonderful place to live. There are many reasons I love to live in Wisconsin, one of the main reasons is that I like dairy and Wisconsin is America’s Dairyland. Dairy is very important because it helps fuel us with good food and it helps our community and economy grow, which helps Wisconsin’s agriculture grow and makes a circle constantly growing.
Milk is very helpful for our bodies. Milk can come from many different animals such as cows, goats or even sheep. There are numerous types of dairy products. A few products are cheese, milk, yogurt, and ice cream. Wisconsin makes a whole 2.8 billion pounds of cheese per year and in every pound there is calcium which helps our teeth.
Milk contains 8 grams of protein per cup that’s 512 grams of protein per gallon. Cows in Wisconsin produce 2.44 billion pounds of milk a month. Yogurt also includes calcium too. In 5 years, the U.S.A. will make 84.5 billion pounds of ice cream. All these dairy products contain nutrients that help me grow strong and healthy.
Wisconsin agriculture helps the community. Wisconsin’s dairy and agriculture help fund money to farmers. The farmers get paid money from the people who buy their products. Then those people sell the product and earn money. Both the farmers and the buyers earn money to purchase items from the community. Those places also get paid, and the cycle continues. That money also will help the neighboring communities and that will help Wisconsin as a state.
Dairy farmers are constantly finding ways to make sure they have a positive, lasting effect on local communities and the planet as a whole. Dairy farms contribute to communities by creating job opportunities. The dairy industry is one of the most regulated industries in agriculture. Farmers take many steps to protect the land, water and air around them. They do this for the wellbeing of their communities, their cows and their families. They do this because they want to sustain their farm for generations to come.
The overall economic impact of Wisconsin’s dairy industry is bigger than ever. This was reported in 2017 by research professor Steven Deller from the University of Madison, Wisconsin.
In conclusion, Wisconsin’s dairy industry has a huge impact on me. Wisconsin is a great place to live. It is the one and only America’s Dairyland. Wisconsin fuels our bodies, community and even our wonderful economy. Go Wonderful Wisconsin Farmers!
Farm Bureau’s Ag in the Classroom program provides teachers and K-12 students with an understanding of how their food is produced. The program seeks to work within existing curricula to provide basic information on our nation’s largest industry: agriculture. Wisconsin’s Ag in the Classroom program is carried out by a network of local educators, volunteers and representatives from agricultural organizations and businesses. The goal of the program is to help students gain a greater awareness of the role of agriculture in the economy and society, so that they may become citizens who support wise agricultural policies.