The U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance has launched a new effort to engage and educate urban youths about modern agriculture.

Called the U.S. Farming and Ranching Foundation, it was established as a philanthropic nonprofit organization with a mission of furthering agricultural education and understanding of agriculture among America’s consumers, including young people.

The foundation has been in the works for months and is centered on education and making sure students have exposure to agriculture, said Randy Krotz, CEO of the alliance and the foundation.

“We, as a whole, want to rebuild trust with consumers in agriculture. Consumers trust farmers, but they don’t always trust the way we grow and raise food,” he said.

The foundation is a result of a collaborative effort led by the agriculture and food industry to expand the dialogue with consumers, said foundation Chairman Jim Blome, president and CEO of Bayer CropScience LP.

It will further understanding through education-based tools and interactive consumer programs that serve as a unified effort to reach Americans in ways in which they want to learn about modern agriculture, he said.

One of the foundation’s initial projects is developing a curriculum guide that will be made available to high schools nationwide, Krotz said.

The alliance has partnered with Discovery Education to provide a platform for the initiative, allowing teachers and students to opt into lesson plans and videos that address four areas — the ag industry, consumer education, farmer and rancher stereotypes and the challenges in agriculture, he said.

With a mission to transform education, Discovery Education is a leader in digital education and is utilized in half of all U.S. schools, reaching more than 35 million students, according to its website.

The documentary film, “Farmland,” which gives viewers the opportunity to step inside the world of agriculture for a first-hand glimpse into the lives of young farmers and ranchers, will serve as the guide’s core.

The curriculum will supplement efforts to bring to life many of the themes covered in the film, and serve as an educational resource for high school teachers interested in content focused on food choices, agriculture, sustainability, entrepreneurship, food issues, antibiotics, GMOs, crop inputs and marketing, according to an alliance press release.

In addition to educating students and consumers, the initiative has an additional goal of bringing young people into agriculture, Krotz said.

“A growing number of students today are graduating from high school with little to no agricultural education and heading to college with a lack of understanding about the great need for their generation to engage in important agricultural and food-based careers,” he said.

That is why a main tenet of the foundation’s mission is to educate and interact with children and young adults and be a part of their lives as they grow and learn, he said.

In addition to Blome, the foundation’s inaugural directors are:

• Don Borgman, industry relations, John Deere (retired).

• Nancy Kavazanjian, director, United Soybean Board.

• Forrest Roberts, former CEO, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association.

• John Becherer, CEO, United Soybean Board.

In addition to the curriculum guide, the foundation plans to identify and seek funding sources that will establish and support potential scholarship opportunities as well as additional innovative consumer-education programs.

For more information about the school initiative, visit discoveringfarmland.com.