The essential life skills young kids can learn on farms

She’s renowned for her work in animal welfare, and autism advocacy. Now Temple Grandin is calling for more kids to get out onto farms to learn critical life skills.

She’s the iconic American livestock academic once portrayed by Claire Danes in a film about her life with autism.

And after a career spent working to improve animal husbandry practices in the United States, Temple Grandin is encouraging young kids – particularly those who are neurodivergent – to simply get out onto farms and learn essential life skills.

Speaking at a recent Ability Ag webinar, Dr Grandin said many life skills and problem solving strategies could be learned by encouraging young people to put down the iPad and get out onto a farm “to learn life skills”.

“We need to get more young people out with livestock,” Dr Grandin said.

“I’m seeing too many fully smart, verbal kids where their parents do everything for them … I think we need to get some of these kids out on ranches, that’s how you’ll get them interested.”

Dr Temple Grandin. Picture: Supplied

A vocal advocate for people with autism, Dr Grandin’s work in livestock handling has hinged off her unique ability to use visual thinking, leveraging the way her autism grants her an ability to see things in a different way.

She encouraged other young people with autism to become involved in agriculture, stating the importance of their different approach to problem solving as essential to the sector.

“We need these kids that think differently,” Dr Grandin said.

“I was introduced to cattle on my aunt’s Arizona cattle ranch, all of my cattle experiences started as a teenager. If students don’t get exposed to interesting stuff, then they’re not going to get interested.”