VIDEO RELEASE: MDARD Celebrates March is Reading Month & Michigan Agriculture with Lansing School District

MDARD March is Reading Month (youtube.com)
The following video is available for all news outlets to utilize.

LANSING, Mich. – Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development’s (MDARD) Chief of Staff Kathy Angerer and employees celebrated March is Reading and Michigan Food and Agriculture Month by partnering with the Lansing School District and reading to several different classrooms.

Employees read “Seed to Plant” by Gail Gibbons, “The Beeman” by Laurie Krebs and Valeria Cis, and “Too Many Carrots” by Katy Hudson to students at Gardner International School. MDARD employee Christopher Greene-Szmadzinski read and signed those books to a class of Deaf and Hard of Hearing students.

“This month, we have so much to celebrate in Michigan! Throughout March, we’ve been celebrating how strong and vibrant our food and agriculture industry is here in Michigan, along with it being reading month,” said Chief of Staff Kathy Angerer. “Today, several staff members from MDARD teamed up with the Lansing School District to bring together food and agriculture with reading. Agriculture’s future is in the hands of the next generation. Now is the time to showcase the opportunities working in food and agriculture, which can open many new and exciting job opportunities.”

Governor Whitmer has declared March as Reading Month in Michigan. The governor is urging all Michiganders to find time to read and recommit themselves to encouraging children and young adults to read diverse literary works early and often so they can see themselves and others in what they read.

Expanding literacy support and investing in education is a top priority for Governor Whitmer. Last month, the governor proposed her sixth budget making record investments in education.

The governor also proposed a bold investment in lifelong literacy, so Michiganders of all ages can get the support they need to succeed in their next grade or job. Since taking office, she has worked across the aisle to triple the number of literacy coaches and boost support for students in every community without raising taxes by a dime.

Earlier this month, Governor Gretchen Whitmer proclaimed March as Michigan Food and Agriculture Month, to honor and celebrate Michigan’s farmers, the diversity of products grown and processed in our state, and the partnerships that keep our food and agriculture industry thriving.