REGINA, SASKATCHEWAN, CANADA — Viterra Inc. announced on Jan. 15 that it is partnering with Agriculture in the Classroom Saskatchewan (AITC-SK) to the develop an agriculture education storybook for students in grades 3-5 in Western Canada. The goal is to help educate students in urban and rural areas about the importance of farming and the impact it has in everyday life.

The theme of the book will focus on farm stewardship and sustainability, and will highlight modern farm practices and technologies utilized today. The book will be utilized as the feature book for Canadian Agriculture Literature Week, March 1-7. AITC Saskatchewan will work with its counterparts in Alberta and Manitoba to distribute the books to approximately 1,500 classrooms across the Canada.

"Our ongoing partnership with Agriculture in the Classroom is part of our overall commitment to support educational opportunities and initiatives that promote agriculture and its importance to Western Canada," said Kyle Jeworski, Viterra's president and chief executive officer for North America. "We're proud to support organizations like these that strive to raise awareness of our industry to a broader audience."

"We're thrilled to have Viterra's support for this project, and continue building on our collaborative partnership," said Sara Shymko, executive director of AITC-SK. "Agriculture in the Classroom is all about providing innovative, curriculum-based programs and resources to help increase students' understanding of agriculture, and with partners like Viterra we're able to realize that goal."

Viterra has provided past funding for Ag in the Classroom in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, as well as the Classroom Agriculture Program in Alberta. These programs exist to provide balanced, factual information to teachers and students and encourage young people to make educated decisions relating to food, environment, careers and lifestyle.