Soybean production showcased in Indiana Farm Bureau’s 2022 Book of the Year

INDIANAPOLIS — The 2022 Indiana Farm Bureau Book of the Year is “My Family’s Soybean Farm,” written by Katie Olthoff with illustrations by Joe Hox. The annual Book of the Year is a part of INFB’s Agriculture in the Classroom program, a grassroots, agricultural outreach program for school children in Indiana.

INFB staff and professional educators selected this year’s book to bring awareness to one of Indiana’s top farm commodities — soybeans.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Indiana is the fourth-largest producer of soybeans in the United States, and soybeans are the No. 1 agricultural export in the state.

For the sixth consecutive year, a statewide campaign, led by the INFB Women’s Leadership Committee, is underway to promote the book in every county throughout 2022.

“My Family’s Soybean Farm” follows the farm adventures of Alexander, who takes readers on a tour of his family’s soybean farm, showing how soybeans are planted, grown and harvested.

Alexander also shares problems and solutions during a crop season, technology used on the farm, pest management techniques and the many different products that feature soybeans.

“My Family’s Soybean Farm” was created by Iowa natives with farm backgrounds. Author Katie Olthoff has written extensively about agriculture and lives on a turkey farm with her family. Illustrator Joe Hox was raised on a farm and has illustrated more than a dozen books.

Throughout the year, Ag in the Classroom volunteers will be able to use the Book of the Year with classrooms virtually or in person to read the book aloud and donate it for future use. INFB representatives also use this opportunity to answer any questions the students have about modern farming in Indiana.

INFB’s Ag in the Classroom program also will release a curriculum for teachers wishing to incorporate the book into their class work.

INFB launched the Book of the Year program in 2017 with “The Kid Who Changed the World” by Andy Andrews, a children’s book about Norman Borlaug, who grew up and used his knowledge of agriculture to create “super plants” that saved the lives of two billion people.