Students will get first-hand lesson on local agriculture

Bite of Brant program will welcome more than a thousand students from across the county

A popular, award-winning program is returning to Burford again this month to teach children about Agrifood awareness.

Over one thousand Grade 5 students, from Brantford and Brant County Public, Catholic and Private Schools will descend on the Burford Fair Grounds for the 27th Annual “Bite of Brant” program, to be held on April 12th and 13th , 2023

This popular program has educated over 22,000 pupils since its inception in 1996.

“It is important for students to gain an appreciation for the high quality of Ontario food and to have some knowledge of how it is produced, since they are already consumers and they are our future decisionmakers,” said Committee Chair Jean Emmott following last year’s successful event, which returned in-person since the pandemic. Twenty stations, representing various commodities from the agri-food industry, will provide the students with an opportunity to gain an appreciation of the source of some of their food and its high quality, as well as the benefits of Ontario and Canadian produced food. The purpose of this event is to increase awareness of the agri-food industry in Brant County and its vital role in our economy and society Activities include pressing apples to make cider, investigating cow miking procedures with a life-size cow model, studying plant needs, comparing input food costs, grinding wheat to make flour for pizza dough, probing careers in the agri-food industry, observing live farm animals, exploring farm equipment and environmental land stewardship New stations this year are maple syrup and woodlot trees. Outcome-based activities support the Ontario Curriculum in several subject areas, such as Science and Technology, Social Studies, Math, Language, Art and Health.

The format features examples of local food commodities, with an overall Pizza theme. Students will receive a slice of pizza, an Ontario apple and a carton of milk at the conclusion of their visit. Schools benefit from a bus subsidy, thanks to the generosity of Brantford City Council, Brant County Council and local Optimist and Lions’Service Clubs. The success of this program lies with the support of the approximately 125 volunteers and the dedicated planning committee, who plan, organize and present this popular program Without their commitment, Bite of Brant would not be possible.

The province recognized that dedicated last year as The Bite of Brant Program Volunteers were honoured with the 2022 June Callwood Outstanding Volunteerism Award for Ontario.

Students from Mrs. Harrison’s Grade 3/4 and 4/5 class gain some agricultural awareness during last year’s Bite of Brant event at the Burford Fairgrounds. Through a series of stations, students gain an appreciation of the source of some of their food. This year’s event takes place April 12th and 13th