Weakley County woman advocates for agriculture
MARTIN, Tenn. — This week is recognized as National Ag Week.
WBBJ 7 Eyewitness News Reporter Diamond Williams spoke to a woman who shared the importance of knowing what you’re putting in your body.
Samantha Goyret is known for being a huge advocate for agriculture throughout Weakley County.
Whether it is incorporating it into schools or just in the community through Northwest Tennessee Food Network, she says agriculture is more important than many people may know.
“Eating and food is one of our basic necessities of life, and if you have poor eating habits or have low access to food, then that effects your quality of life and also your health. So farmers play a vital role in nourishing our communities through the food that they grow,” Goyret said.
Goyret says her love for agriculture started as a child, and it’s something she’s incorporated throughout her entire life.
And now she does into her children as well. Most of the food her family eats is from their own backyard.
“It’s very important that my children also have that experience. Whether they realize it or not, they’re getting to know, and they know a lot more than many kids about how to grow their own food, and that’s a very important life skill to have,” Goyret said.
She says the best time to start teaching about agriculture is at a very young age because of the fact that food preferences are more adaptable, which is why she began wanting to incorporate agricultural education into schools.
“It’s just so intriguing because kids get to touch it, they get to feel it, they get to access it, and that’s a really important part about how children can grow up by knowing where their food comes from and having that connection,” Goyret said.
Along with educating students, Goyret will soon be opening her backyard garden to children to extend that knowledge even further.
“Our garden is called Barefoot Gardens, and as the name implies, we encourage anyone to come to our garden barefoot and feel the earth under their feet and also just have access to seeing how everything is grown,” Goyret said.
Goyret is planning for Barefoot Gardens to be ready to open to the public in about one to two years.
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