Bayer opens doors for Teacher Leader Community at annual Nourish the Future conference
CHESTERFIELD, MO.—Thirty-five middle and high school educators from across the country gathered at Bayer Crop Science this month for the Nourish the Future Community Conference, deepening their expertise in teaching science through agricultural contexts. The three-day event marked a pivotal moment for the sixth cohort of Nourish the Future’s Teacher Leader Community, bringing together this year’s newly selected educators for their first in-person experience.
“Teachers have one of the most important jobs there is: shaping our future. Bayer is proud to help these leaders bring agriculture to the classroom and help the next generation understand the importance and challenges of nourishing our growing world,” expressed Aimee Hood, Vice President, Regulatory Policy and Stakeholder Engagement, Bayer Crop Science.
The conference included facility tours, hands-on laboratory activities, and an expert panel featuring five Bayer professionals from various roles, including a nutritionist, a molecular biologist, a data scientist, a plant breeding scientist, and a field scientist. Participants also visited a working farm and engaged in real-world problem-solving activities designed to connect classroom science concepts with agricultural applications.
“That was my biggest aha, what they are doing with technology, what they are doing with genes to make more efficient crops,” said Leah Pegg, who teaches for Florida Virtual School. For Pegg, seeing the technological innovations firsthand provided new context she hadn’t encountered in her home state’s agriculture.
The Teacher Leader Community represents Nourish the Future’s most intensive professional development offering. Selected through a competitive process, these educators spend a full year advancing their expertise in using agricultural contexts to teach science while building a network of colleagues nationwide. Now in its sixth year, the program has reached more than 600 educators and 450,000 students.
Julie Sandridge, who teaches sixth-grade math and science in Arkansas, found the genetic engineering applications particularly compelling. “I just thought that was just the coolest thing ever, learning about that in these couple of days has just been really eye-opening for me,” she said, connecting the science to the global challenge of feeding a growing population.
Dr. Turhan Carroll from the University of Georgia emphasized the interdisciplinary nature of modern agriculture. “When you get everybody talking to each other, from the scientists to the end user, you’re always going to get useful solutions that benefit mankind,” Carroll observed, noting how the diverse group of educators energized his own thinking about cross-curricular connections.
According to Bayer research, 80% of high school science teachers believe agriculture provides important context for students, yet only 22% incorporate agriculture into their lesson plans, often due to lack of resources or knowledge. Nourish the Future addresses this gap by providing intensive training and ongoing support.
“The fact that we have great minds thinking about [feeding lots of people with less space], great minds from different sciences, from engineering, and also farmers, and they’re all talking to each other” gives Carroll optimism about the next generation’s ability to solve complex global challenges.
For Virginia Beach educator Ellis Pawson, the experience reinforced the potential of agriculture as a meaningful context for science education. “Agriculture is so full of science, you can take any science concept and apply it to agriculture,” Pawson said, adding that the exposure will help students “see new opportunities to be able to use their interest in fields that maybe they hadn’t considered in the past.”
The Bayer partnership provides Teacher Leader Community participants with direct access to cutting-edge research and industry professionals. During the expert panel discussion, teachers explored career pathways, learned about current agricultural challenges, and discussed innovations in plant breeding, data science, and nutrition.
Wendy Crawford, an eighth-grade science teacher from Mississippi, reflected on the collaborative approach she witnessed. “I think the collaboration, with all the sciences with everything from a nutritionist to a farmer to the engineers, it all just comes together to create something better,” she said.
When asked what advice she would give her students, Crawford emphasized keeping an open mind: “Don’t close any doors. I always keep an open mind to what might be out there that you don’t even know yet.”
Through partnerships like this one with Bayer, Nourish the Future continues expanding its reach and impact. The program, sponsored by the National Corn Growers Association and the United Soybean Board with local support from state agriculture and education groups, provides free resources, professional training, and leadership development opportunities to science educators nationwide.
“The future of food & natural resource production relies on a scientifically literate society,” noted Christine Girtain, a Teacher Leader Community alumni and New Jersey Teacher of the Year 2023.
As these Teacher Leader Community members return to their classrooms, they bring new scientific knowledge and industry connections, plus a network of colleagues committed to advancing scientific literacy. Their year-long journey has only just begun, with virtual sessions throughout the fall and a capstone experience planned for February.
The investment in science educator development reflects Bayer’s commitment to transparency, scientific research, and sustainability education, helping ensure the next generation understands both the challenges and innovations shaping modern agriculture.