The real magic of the modern food system happens with farm technology

Zach King is great at wowing audiences with his magic tricks on social media, but here he shows how amazing food production can be by exploring the science of today’s farms. 

Many high school students are unaware of the high-tech innovation used in agriscience, so Science Matters, a collaboration between Bayer and National 4-H Council, teamed up with King to create a fun yet educational video. Science Matters’ goal is to encourage students’ interest in STEM careers. At the current rate of population growth, the world will need to increase agriculture production 60 percent by the year 2050 to provide enough food for all; however, the gap between the number of available jobs in agriscience and those qualified to fill them continues to grow.

Though the need is great, a study initiated by the program earlier this year revealed only about 20 percent of teachers across the country include agriscience content in their lesson plans. Furthermore, 70 percent of high school parents think it’s unlikely their child would consider a career in agriscience.