Connecting With Consumers at The Henry Ford Museum

The Michigan Soybean Committee is excited to partner with The Henry Ford Museum again this year! The second year of this multi- faceted partnership offers MSC the opportunity to engage with museum goers, share accurate information about soybeans and agriculture and engage with target audiences such as students and educators through a variety of different projects and programs.

One project includes working with museum staff and the curator of the Agriculture and the Environment exhibit to add more soybean-specific information to the museum floor. MSC QR codes have been installed near certain displays. These QR codes direct museum goers to articles and YouTube videos about soybean production in Michigan. Modern agriculture additions to the museum floor are also in the works.

Another project MSC sponsors is Invention Convention Michigan. The state finals were held at The Henry Ford Museum at the end of April. MSC sponsors the Food & Agriculture Award Category. The winning invention in that category this year was a project by Alyssa Davis called the Super Soaker Sprinkler. This invention was designed to help gardeners maintain adequate soil moisture levels around their plants and trees. Alyssa is a fifth grade student at Farmington STEAM Academy in Farmington Hills, MI. Her invention includes soaker hoses, a sprinkler base, timer, garden hose and a high-flow faucet adapter. The device targets water to desired areas to reduce waste and keep plants watered consistently.

During Invention Convention, staff also had a booth with information about soybeans and parts of a seed under a microscope. Attendees were also able to plant a soybean seed to take home and grow.

In addition to work with the museum curator and sponsorship of Invention Convention, MSC is also sponsoring a series of summer camps for students at Greenfield Village focused on growing plants and learning more about farming and healthy food.

Lastly, MSC is partnering to contribute scientific information about soybeans to articles and blog posts and contributing to digital content which is shared across their vast social and digital platforms. This allows soybean information to be amplified through their channels and increases MSC's exposure with key audiences. Stay tuned for more updates on this exciting partnership as we work through more of the projects!