As Americans, the idea of agriculture is deeply ingrained in our minds at a very early age.

Whether we're singing about Old MacDonald's farm-which, if you make it through all the verses, is extremely productive-or listening to a bedtime story about Johnny Appleseed planting orchards throughout the fields of the Midwest we are inundated with a barrage of agricultural references from the moment we enter a classroom.

The agriculturally based narrative is especially present this time of year, as children in grade schools from coast to coast prepare to dress up like pilgrims and Indians and tell the story of the first harvest, in celebration of Thanksgiving.

The problem is, these references have become largely historical or legendary in nature, rather than applicable to everyday life.

Agriculture wasn't always limited to dramatizations and far-away lands, however. Once upon a time, the school year was actually determined by the planting, cultivating, and harvesting schedules because children worked before and after school on their family's farms.

However, as more and more people transitioned from rural America to the city, educators began to regard agriculture as a specialized subject since it was no longer considered to be directly a part of every child's life.

In response to the lack of presence that agriculture has in the school system today, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has taken steps through its Agriculture in the Classroom (AITC) program, to bring the modern-day farm back to its rightful place of relevance in a modern-day curriculum.

Implemented on a state-by-state basis, AITC has found that the most effective way to promote agriculture in the classroom is through teacher education and materials distribution. This is done in a variety of ways depending on the state's needs, such as all-volunteer networks, educational nonprofit organizations, and a range of government agencies and private agricultural organizations or commodity groups.

Throughout the remainder of the school year, The Hand That Feeds U.S. will take a look at some of the lesson plans responsible for the emergent domestic agricultural awareness, some of which include:

A Day Without Agriculture
This lesson plans discusses two questions. What is agriculture? What are some ways that it affects my life every day? Students will utilize language arts, math and social studies skills.

1880s Agricultural Nation: Foods and Families on the Move
Students will examine primary sources and answer questions about how crops were harvested, transported and sold in 1880s America.

Agriculture Counts
These lessons use surveys and censuses as the basis for showing why agricultural statistics are important. Lesson plans include: K-3/Agriculture Counts; 4-6/Where Does It Come From?; 7-8/This Land is Our Land; 9-12/The Fact Finders; 9-12/Arthur Young & The President; 9-12/Making Sense of the Census. Also included is a guide for navigating the national statistics website and a glossary of terms.

But it's not just children who can benefit from having an understanding of our country's food system. These lessons could prove useful for an adult population that's two, going on three, generations removed from the farm.

Domestic food production plays an intricate role in our lives, now more than ever. It is important that we understand where our food comes from and who makes every meal possible.

Adults can make better food choices if they understand the process and policy involved in farming today. While it's great for us to remember the tales from our childhood, the agriculture industry is still very much alive in this country, and deserves a place in our everyday dialogue.

Today, as children decide whether to be astronauts, doctors, or movie stars, maybe it's time that they take another look at the American farmer and understand that he/she is not just a character in a folk song or the protagonist in stories of days gone by, but a hard-working reality.