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100. AG LITERACY
* Calhoun, "AITC and FFA Partners" – The purpose of this program was
to be a mentor to FFA students and help them financially with their Land
Lab. This was a new project for them. We talked with school officials
along with the Ag Advisor and FFA Alumni members to get permission to
use some of the school property for the lab. The school board gave
permission. FS and Monsanto came on board and donated seed and
chemicals and we secured a $500 grant through the Illinois Corn
Marketing Board to secure funds for signage and brochures. There were
25 FFA members, the Ag Advisor, 4 alumni members to assist the FFA
members and 2 AITC and 2 WC members involved in the project. We
achieved our goal as many students stated this was the biggest hands on
experiences they had been involved with. Brochures and a sign directing
them to the Land Lab recognized the IL Corn Marketing Board and all
contributors. The brochures noting the results of the plots will be handed
out to farmers this fall at our local elevator. Media was placed in our local
newspaper, FFA , FFA Alumni and the FB newsletter over 40,000
distribution.
Edwards, "Teacher Visit" – The FB adopted a 2nd grade teacher and
classroom to teach them about agriculture and rural America. After a visit
by several members of the FB this spring, the teacher decided she wanted
to visit the county. Various agricultural tours and visits we set up. Since it
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was also county fair week, she got to experience that highlight as well.
While in our county for 4 days, Gina visited a farmer’s grain storage
complex; rode in a sprayer to learn about GPS technology; visited a
GROWMARK/FS cooperative; visited a meat packing plant; watched
livestock shows and the livestock auction; visited the county historical
society; visited a dairy farm; participated in the milk mustache contest; and
ate meals with several FB families. 40 volunteers
Pulaski-Alexander, "Spring Forward for Teachers" – 8 volunteers
coordinated a spring forward kickoff for AITC in the spring. Over 100
teachers were given reusable grocery bags to welcome the spring
season. The teachers bags were divided by grade level taught. 1st Grade,
3rd Grade, and 5th Grade Teachers across 4 counties were given the
bags. 1st Grade Bags included Who Grew My Soup Lesson Plans and Ag
Mags, 3rd Grade Bags included Little Joe Book with the Lesson Plans and
Ag Mags. 5th Grade Bags included the Beef Princess of Practical County
with Lesson Plans and Ag Mags. Teachers were delighted with the bags
and it helped to encourage the teachers during the Spring Semester. The
bags were a great way to show appreciation for our teachers and to
promote the AITC programs. 33.3% CFB
Pope-Hardin, "Summer Reading Program" – The annual Summer
Children’s Reading Program held in July at our two local Public Libraries
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was a big success with 26 children attending. The program was planned
by our 6 member volunteer committee and 4 other volunteers. Children
listened to a book being read, and then completed the following AITC
activites Seed House, Food Pyramid Bracelet, and a Stick Horse. Our
goal is to encourage them to read and learn about the importance of
agriculture in their lives.
Johnson, "4-H Participation Award" – Our County Farm Bureau wanted
to increase participation in our County 4-H Program. Our County
Extension was unable to offer premium dollars this year, so we decided to
offer a participation award to 4-H participates that were dependants of our
members regardless of project area. 4-H’ers were asked to submit an
application for the award following the County Show. We offered up to
$2000 dollars and paid out $50 to participating 4-H’ers. The program was
greatly appreciated and we even signed 2 new members. Volunteers –
13, Staff - 2
Douglas, "Environmental Stewardship Day" – September 2010, 21
volunteers, 100% committee. Our Ag Literacy Committee, in cooperation
with the women’s committee, FSA, U of I Extension, local SWCD
personnel, Ag Literacy Coordinator and 21 volunteers conducted this
program in an effort to educate 6th grade students about environmental
issues. Sixth grade students from six area schools, including 13 classes
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and 215 students, attended our 17th Annual Environmental Stewardship
Day. The event was held at a state park in the county. The program was
broken into ten different stations. The stations our listed below:
• Forestry: This station showed the importance of trees in our
environment as well as the proper way to protect forest land by an
Extension Specialist.
• Water Quality: This station showed the importance of the water
cycle and the dangers of pollutants to the water as well as water
conservation.
• Water Safety: A Conservation Policeman went over water and
boating safety at this station.
• No-Till: The Soil Conservation Service specialists set up a station
where the students learned about no-till, watersheds, hydrology,
and grass waterways. Students also saw how terraces control soil
erosion.
• Soils: The sixth graders were able to hear a soil conservationist
explain how soils were formed and experiment with different soil
type textures as well as soybean samples.
• Wildlife: A wildlife specialist discussed wildlife and examples of
wildlife preservation.
• Aquaculture: Fish Specialist: This station showed the importance
of the ecosystems and let students touch several fish, turtles, and
salamanders.
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• Vermiculture: This station showed the importance of earthworms to
agriculture.
• Grain Safety: Monsanto demonstrated how to be safe around grain
bins.
• AITC Skit: IAA Foundation and 50 Bike Riders
Members of the AITC Committee served as coordinators and escorted
groups from station to station. The committee also served ice cream
treats to the participants. We were featured on the front page of a local
newspaper reaching over 10,000 people and a three county newspaper
reaching over 36,000.
* Edgar, " Skype From The Field" – This year the volunteers wanted to
bring the students to the field; however with reduced travel funds for
schools, there was no way that the schools could come to the farm. The
AITC Committee got creative and decided to bring the farm to the students
using a free service called Skype. The coordinator and manager worked
to set up times for the classrooms to log into Skype, talk with a farmer and
ride in the combine while harvesting corn and soybeans through a
computer in the field and the Smartboard in the classroom. The FB
Manager established the internet connection in the field and coordianted
the farmers to talk with the students. The students virtually rode in the
combine and tractor, helped unload grain, haulled it to the elevator, and
learned more where their food comes from, as well as had the opportunity
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to talk with the farmers and learn the different aspects of farming. For
many of the students, this was their only opportunity to ever experience
farming. There were 12 farmers who helped teach the 42 classroom
lessons and a total of 1,008 students who skyped with farmers.
Perry, "Teaching Garden Extravaganza" – An area school kicked off a
program designed by the Heart Association called “The Teaching
Garden”. Designed to get students’ hands dirty, educators and our AITC
Coordinator taught children how to grow their own food. Raised gardens
were created in the school yard, and students helped plant fruit and
vegetables that would be harvested and included in their school menu.
Over 400 students participated in this all-day event and planted a variety
of veggies including: tomatoes, potatoes, pumpkins, zucchini,
strawberries, lettuce, and onions.
Clay, "AITC from A to Z” Adopt a Classroom Program" – 2010-2011
School Year. The PT helps out the CFB by visiting AITC Classrooms. The
Prime Timers decided to adopt two local 1st grade classrooms. For the
project a new “AITC from A to Z” booklet was made to highlight each letter
of the alphabet to correspond with important agriculture facts from the past
and present. Example: A is for: Acres of Animals Out at the Farm or C is
for: Illinois Crops of Course. Each letter has its own activities and lessons.
A lined paper is handed out for story boarding which helps students learn
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agriculture vocabulary and helps them hone their language skills which
they are tested on at the state level. New coloring sheets are made for
each letter and each classroom also participates in either an in the
classroom art project or a take home project that corresponds with
commodities or other farm related information. Once per semester a Prime
Timer volunteers to accompany the CFB Manager to the classroom to
relate a specific lesson. During the past spring semester the Prime Timer
talked about Life After School when they were in 1st grade. Pictures were
shown and a letter was read that spoke about life on the farm 50 years
ago. The Prime Timers believe this project is important for relating a
positive agricultural message to young students and it keeps the past alive
as those students grow older.
Washington, "FFA Commodity Challenge" – Our YL and Marketing
Committees offered agriculture students with an opportunity to compete in
our second “Commodity Challenge” contest. The event centered on an
online, interactive commodity game, using current market prices that
allowed participants to test their knowledge and practice their marketing
skills without the financial risk. Through the exercise, participants traded
corn, soybeans, and wheat on the cash, futures, and options markets to
help them learn about the “ins and outs” of today’s commodity markets. In
total, fifteen (15) students, two (2) Advisors, and one (1) FS grain
merchandiser from the county tested their marketing skills against each
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other. At the conclusion of the event, $300 in cash prizes was awarded to
the top three traders from each chapter. This year’s event experienced
good growth from last year’s numbers of 1 chapter and 7 student
participation.
Union, "FFA Acquaintance Day" – 14 CFB's teamed up with a local
university to bring together one of the largest programs in the state on
January 25, 2011. 325 FFA students adorned the halls of the college for
the morning program. A manager began the program by introducing the
Dean of the College of Agriculture. The Dean explored the many
opportunities students have with curriculum. The students were dismissed
to attend 5 workshops. They were; "Farmer George" presented by county
AITC Coordinators, where students learned various Ag in the Classroom
programs to teach young children; "The Farm Bureau Organization"
presented by Mariah Dale-Anderson from Illinois Farm Bureau, "Careers
in Ag" by Kelly Robertson, an Agronomic Consultant, and "FFA After High
School" presented by the Collegiate FFA Chapter. President Philip
Nelson spoke to the crowd about his start in FFA and the future in
agriculture that students will help shape with their skills and knowledge
they acquire through high school and beyond. The program had many
features mentioned along with the meals provided by each respective
county. 14 county Farm Bureau staff & volunteers all worked together to
bring this great program to the FFA students. Planning included 2
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organizational meetings, staff trips to the college to work out details,
university staff printing up flyers & securing rooms and more.
Wabash, "Tractor and Truck Pull for Ag Literacy" – For the second
year in a row, the Young Farmers sponsored a Tractor and Truck pull
benefiting the county AITC and 4-H programs. Each member was
responsible for obtaining sponsorship for the pull, and the event was more
than paid for thanks to all of the sponsors. Many more classes were added
this year, and the turnout of participants and spectators was more than
expected. It was estimated that over 500 people were in attendance.
Many came out just to help raise money for the kids. A local 4-H club
provided the concessions for the event as a fundraiser. Both organizations
were grateful for the large donations that we were able to give. A lot of
hard work goes into putting on an event this large and the committee
plans to continue this event and to make it even more successful in the
coming years!
* Christian, "Interactive Farm 2011" – July 2011. The display included an
entire building of large and small animals, a full sized “mock dairy cow”,
roping steers, a chicken coupe with wooden eggs, a mock apple tree,
pedal tractor obstacle course, ag in the classroom activities, and farm
prizes, along with county/Illinois Farm Facts and food v. fuel
demonstrations. We added very seasonal/colorful landscape and industry
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displays as a finishing touch to the exhibit. The idea started with a goal of
bringing a taste of agriculture to the fingertips of families and children. As
children entered the Interactive Farm, they were asked, “Would you like to
help us with today’s chores?” Children were awarded agriculture prizes if
they milked the mock dairy cow, gathered eggs, picked apples, along with
other miscellaneous activities at the farm. This exhibit was extremely
popular and reached more than 3000 children and/or families during the
2011fair week. This event was coordinated 100% by CFB & FFA
volunteers. In addition, Interactive Farm 2011 improved our interaction
with local FFA students and provided non-farm FFA students with an
opportunity to use this week-long activity as part of their Supervised
Agricultural Experience Record Book Project. Interactive Farm was a huge
success and one of the most innovative exhibits ever at our county fair!*
Knox, "Puppet Barn Stage" – Year Round. 30 vol/4,000 students. CFB’s
AITC coordinator, with the help of a local FFA Chapter, constructed a barn
which acts as a stage for a farm safety puppet show. Our coordinator
takes the puppet stage to various classrooms to educate students on
safety around farm animals. The puppets for the show include: a horse,
goat, pig, chicken, cow, sheep, turkey, donkey, and a dog. These puppets
help teach students the importance of safety on and off the farm and
stress the importance that learning farm safety is not just for farm kids, but
also for kids who live in town that might visit the farm.
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Shelby, "Memorial Tractor Drive & Show" – 97 tractor drivers
participated in the 3rd Annual Tractor Drive and Show. The drive offered
a 28 mile route for tractors maintaining 12 mph and a 18 mile route for
tractors maintaining 8 mph through the north west corner of the county
beginning on the fairgrounds. Lunch was served and the tractors were on
display for a tractor show from 12-2 p.m. Top 5 plaques were awarded
based on the a 5 member selection committee. The drive registration fee
and silent auction raised over $6,000 for the CFB Foundation scholarship
program. 45 volunteers helped with the event.
Mercer, "Dr. Seuss Day" – Our County Ag Literacy Coordinator hosted a
Dr. Seuss Day at one of the elementary schools in the county. The
school’s FFA chapter assisted with the program. Thirteen students
volunteered to assist with the program. 230 students rotated among six
different stations. The first station was “Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You?” At
that station students learned about dairy and received an ice cream treat.
The next station was “Green Eggs and Ham” where the students received
a green egg with a pig eraser and learned facts about pork and poultry.
The third station was “The Cat and the Hat.” At that station the students
learned about the many different hats that a farmer wears. The fourth
station was “McElligot’s Pool” where the students learned about
aquaculture and enjoyed fish crackers. The fifth station was “O Say Can
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you Seed.” The students received a “beanie baby” at this station and
learned about plants. The final station was “Hop on Pop” where the
students learned about corn and the many uses of corn. They even
received bubble wrap to pop to go along with the story. The program was
very well received by the students and they stated that they learned a lot
about agriculture all while having a blast!
Monroe, "Behind the Scenes Tour of the County Fair" – Last year the
committee invited daycares to the county fair for a Behind the Scenes
Tour to increase children’s understanding of agriculture. A sub-committee
of four members met to expand the tour. Committee members invited
children from 10 daycares in the county; 6 of them participated. 9
committee members and FFA members served as tour guides taking 243
students, ages 4-12, and 25 teachers through each barn. This was an
increase of 80 children from last year. YL’s Committee, FFA & 4-H
members and livestock producers served as presenters to show students
what the animals eat, how they are cared for, and why we need them.
Petting the animals and listening to them communicate were highlights for
the students. Seeing the large farm equipment, fruit, vegetable, and crop
displays sparked interest among the groups. Despite the hot
temperatures, the kids loved the tours. Ag Mags and coloring books were
given to each student as well as activities for the teachers to use in the
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future. The program will expand to include day cares who couldn’t
participate due to transportation issues this year.
Boone, "2nd Annual Family Wellness Night" – 1 local beekeeper and 1
staff created and worked the FB booth at the local elementary school for
their Family Wellness Night for 1.5 hours that focused on nutrition,
physical activity, and personal hygiene. The elementary school is
considered a small neighborhood school with approximately 300 students;
consisting of a low income level of 64%. 10 booths were set up by
different organizations and those that attended were given a schedule of
events and their locations in the school. This is the second year that the
CFB was invited to participate in this event. This year the FB focused on
our dependence on honey bees to provide many of our fruits and
vegetables as well as the medicinal uses and benefits of honey. An
observation hive was brought in and each student who found the queen
bee received a sticker and a honey stick. Handouts on the benefits of
honey and various activity sheets were provided. Approximately 100
people attend the event. Through educating students about honey bees
we hope to broaden their understanding and tolerance for honey bees and
encourage them to add more fruits and vegetables to their diet and look at
honey for medicinal needs such as burns, allergies, coughs and sore
throats.
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* Whiteside, "Farm in the Park" – Our goal was to provide a fun, learning
experience for kids and their parents that educated them on the role
agriculture plays in their daily lives. The planning was done by Farm
Bureau staff, the Ag Literacy Coordinator, and Extension's 4-H director,
with guidance/input provided by the four-member Education & Safety
Committee. It was decided to hold the event at a park with a large
pavillion. The park district was contacted and a pavillion was secured for
June 4. We made a barn that kids started at to get their bag filled with
take home materials, including ag mags. Each kids also got to pick their
own "farmer's cap". We had several local ag businesses donate more
than 300 caps. We decided to offer seven stations:
Jackson, "Farm Tours for Tikes" – Our Ag In The Classroom
Committee wanted to provide students with a look at agriculture in action.
We have a local farmer that raises row crops, swine, and cattle close to
town that was willing to work with us. We then contacted first grade
teachers around the county to tell them about this great opportunity. Ag In
The Classroom material was supplied to the teachers for use in their
classrooms two weeks prior to the tour. Two days were then scheduled for
the tour. The host farm family showed the students various pieces of farm
equipment and discussed their use on the farm. Students then viewed and
discussed the swine and beef enterprises and how they play a role on his
farming operation. To explain how crops get from the field to market, each
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class was told they represented a combine. Students were then taken out
to the corn fields where they picked and shelled corn by hand into
baskets. After the baskets, which represented farm trucks, were full, they
were hauled to a local elevator and weighed. The students then carried
their corn to the pit and dumped it, just like the trucks would do. Before
leaving the corn field, students were shown various products made from
corn that they would recognize. 10 volunteers were used to make this a
very successful project. 150 students and 8 teachers were reached. 100%
AITC Committee
Stephenson, "Farm Fun Zone" – Now in its fourth year, our 40x60 tent
at our county fair was again a huge hit with fair visitors. Our primary focus
is to provide a comfortable and welcoming atmosphere filled with activities
and educational opportunities. A new Case-IH tractor (promoting our
member discount) and prominent signage greeted visitors at our entrance
along the main road, with a shaded area and park benches adjacent. We
had live animals on display including 2 sheep, 3 goats, 3 piglets, a dairy
calf, and 2 rabbits. Again this year we hatched chicks and had them
housed in a terrarium (the first ones hatched the night before the fair
began, and thirteen more hatched throughout the first three days). The
animals are always a huge attraction, as is the 10' feed trough filled with
corn and farm toys (it's constantly surrounded by smiling kids). We had
numerous hands-on activities and games for kids, ag videos playing in a
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rotation, an antique tractor and engine raffle, and displays by Farm
Bureau, FSA, SWCD, and COUNTRY Financial. Each day was a different
commodity theme (pork, beef, corn, soy and dairy) with free popcorn on
Thursday and cheese sticks on Saturday. Daily door prizes were given,
and the final round of public voting was held for our third annual photo
contest to determine the 12 winners. We had a viewpoint survey for our
voting members to complete (printed in our FarmWeek county page the
prior two months) for which they received $4 in “Fair Bucks” (122 surveys
were completed). A local radio station did live remote broadcasts
Wednesday-Friday afternoons, and some of our FB leaders were
interviewed. We estimate over 2000 people came through the tent during
the five days. Our local ag literacy coordinator cooperates with us in
planning and executing the project, and over 30 volunteers assisted. We
are already working on plans for an expanded presence and new activities
for 2012.
Randolph, "Pull & Cast for Agriculture Education" – Our board of
directors joined forces with the neighboring County Farm Bureau to offer
the Pull and Cast for Agriculture, a multi-faceted fund raiser for AITC. The
two boards recruited assistance from Extension, FS, IFB, Farm Credit,
and IDNR to pull off one of the best 1-day shooting and fishing event in
the Midwest. Countless hours of preparation went into the event including
developing a scoring data base, obtaining sponsors, prize donations,
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volunteer recruitment, creating and implementing a registration process,
designing an on-line registration web page, shooter recruitment, cost and
fee analysis, filling a worker schedule, working through contracts, and
partnering with IDNR to facilitate our shoot. The day of the event 24
volunteers helped and 117 sporting clay shooters from 3 states have a
great day of competition and camaraderie; this included youth participants
from 9 different schools. We had numerous classes for each event and
gave out over $4000 in prize and money during the event. There were
also 3 different games and a raffle available to all participants. One of the
features of our event included a $500 adult shootout and a $350/$150
Youth Shootout, which is very unusual for fundraising events. Overall we
raised around $5000 for our local AITC programs.
Williamson, "Kindergarten Equine Experience" – May 23rd of 2011,
101 kindergarten students and 40 volunteers visited a horse farm. Eight
learning stations were set up for the groups of children. It started with a
volunteer showing how to properly handle, groom and saddle a horse,
then they broke up into small groups for 1) horse identification of colors, 2)
proper grooming & feeding, 3) The tackroom and what is tack, 4) roping
area with dummies for the kids to rope, 5) Stick horse barrel racing, 6)
Water relays, filling one trough from another with small buckets, 7) each
student got to ride a horse being lead by a volunteer, 8) petting zoo, where
children got to view and touch, chickens, goats, cows and a donkey.
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Grundy, "Draw Down" – The 2nd Annual CFB Foundation Draw Down
was held to increase support from the CFB to other Ag organizations
within the community, including the CFB Agriculture In the Classroom
Program. The committee began meeting monthly in November 2010 and
decided to organize the fundraiser for March 2011. Committee members
sold 250 tickets at $50 each which admitted 2 people for the evening and
included the meal, beverages, and entertainment by a local DJ. Silent and
live auctions were also held during the Draw Down. The event consisted
of a meal, entertainment tables, and music. 3 subcommittees were
created to organize the silent/live auctions, entertainment/food, and
sponsors. Through ticket sales, event sponsors, silent & live auctions, and
raffles during the evening, the event brought in over $25,000! The CFB
Foundation will use the proceeds to support local Extension & 4H
programs, county FFA chapters, the CFB AITC program, to sponsor
teachers for the Summer Agriculture Institute and other educational
training opportunities for leaders of the County Farm Bureau. Plans are
underway for the 2012 event to occur the last Saturday in March 2012.
* DeKalb, "Farmers Ag Mag" – We interviewed and photographed 6 area
farmers to feature in a full-color, 4-page, 11”x17” Ag Mag titled
“_________ County Farmers”. The publication included articles on how we
depend on farmers, how farms/farmers are different, percentage of family
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farms, personal glimpses of the 6 farmers, and a guide to common farm
structures. 3 local agribusinesses readily agreed to sponsor the first
printing of 3,500 copies. The Ag Mag was designed to accompany our
new 4th grade AITC presentation, “Mapping Illinois Agriculture”, and to also
be appealing and educational for students and adults of all ages. A
subsequent printing enabled its use as a special Ag Week insert in our
March FB newspaper. IMPACT: 770 students, 6,500 FB members, 450
general public. NEEDS MET: This educational piece puts a face on our
local farmers and has been/will be distributed for events such as AITC
presentations, Ag Day at a university football game, a local steam power
show, the Foods Resource Bank Harvest Celebration, and more. Our Ag
Mag builds on the popularity of those created by Illinois AITC while
increasing appreciation and understanding of our local farmers and ag
production.
DuPage, "Pizza, Plants, Summer School" – Extending AITC into
summer school. With the goal to provide youth with learning opportunities
that teach the value of agriculture education, the implications for their
careers and the value to our nation’s economy, our summer school
programs reached hundreds of students that otherwise may not have
heard our message. These students come from families of diverse
ethnicities, high-density populations, and suburban middle class working
poor. Our multi-targeted approach mixes AG production, careers,
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science, environmental awareness, and nutrition. Our Pizza lesson
addressed the broad scope of the AG industry from the grains farmer to
the pizza restaurant. Students learned about the dairy, grains, and
livestock industries, vegetable growers, and the vast number of careers.
The Food Pyramid Nutrition lessons taught how pizza satisfies the basic
food groups. The Plants/ Seeds lessons taught biotechnology and how
science guides farmers to aid in weather forecasting, fertilization, and
seed development. The lessons prepared students to be better able to
make informed decisions when considering national concerns. The Plants
and Seeds lessons provided hands-on planting, understanding soil’s
importance, germination, seed parts, and the growing cycle. At the end of
the summer school, students consumed their harvest thus illustrating the
farmer’s role as steward and producer. Students learned about food
safety, animal rights, environmental concerns and water quality. We
delivered 19 sessions to 315 students.
LaSalle, "Adopted Legislator 4th Grade Essay Contest" – In an effort
to promote National Agriculture Week and encourage young urban
students to learn more about agriculture, our county farm bureau
legislative committee co-sponsored an essay contest for the 4th grade
classrooms in our adopted legislators’ district. The winning classroom
would receive an all expenses paid trip to our county fair in the summer.
We met with our adopted legislator and with the help of our Northwest
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Legislative Coordinator, developed a set of criteria upon which the essays
were to be judged. Each participant was required to submit a 100-300
word essay on “Why Agriculture is important to Me”. In addition to the
students essays the teachers were asked to submit one as well detailing
“Why Agriculture is important to my students”. All essays were to be
returned to the legislator’s district office to be judged. In all, 162 student
essays were turned in along with five teacher essays. The winners were
then selected by our adopted legislator and notified by our county farm
bureau and arrangements were made for transportation and lunch on the
day of the event. We had a total of 40 students and two teachers
participate. Our adopted legislator accompanied the group on the bus. On
the day of the trip, we made arrangements for the them to stop at a local
implement dealer who talked to them about the various implements
needed to produce a crop. They were able to climb on the tractors and
combines to get a better idea of the size of the piece of equipment. After
the trip to the implement dealer they arrived at our fair. While on the bus
our Legislative Chairman greeted them and talked about what they were
going to see and divided them out into 6 groups to be lead around the
fairgrounds by our 6 legislative committee members. The students were
able to get a hands on experience with the livestock and other 4-H
projects as they toured the livestock barns. The local media was on hand
to follow the kids around and ask them questions about what they
experienced. They then ran an article on their front page detailing the
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children’s experience and comments. We definitely feel this project met
our goal of helping urban youth have a better understanding of where their
food comes from and the important role agriculture plays in their lives.
Will, "AITC Electronic Newsletter" – 12 volunteers. 200+ schools,
10/10. This newsletter has been an innovative way to connect with
teachers and get the AITC message to many schools. The newsletter
informs teachers of upcoming AITC events, resources, teacher
scholarships and grant opportunities. A topical one page lesson plan is
included. This newsletter is sent to every school within the county and
several individual teachers who have requested the newsletter. The list of
individual teachers asking to be added grows every month because they
want to make sure they get the information! The committee was happy to
save postage and paper and believes that the information is being
distributed to a greater, more diverse group of educators.
Winnebago, "Children’s Farm at Local Park District" – 24 vol. from the
AITC, PT’s, a local FFA Chapter and 4-H Clubs worked to provide Ag
education opportunities to students and the public. The 2 CFBs set up
several displays on Bee’s, Pigs, Corn, Soybeans, Wheat, Oats, Apples,
Pumpkins, Sheep and Chickens. Kids of all ages learned about the
animals, growth of a pumpkin and made corn plastic along with other
agricultural related activities they could take home at the pumpkin festival.
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120 K-3rd grade students participated in the fall Apple Day program.
Apple day included a look at a local apple orchard through the different
seasons; meeting an employee/ family member of the orchard; learning
about apple production and practices; making apple chains; as well as
touring the park’s barnyard. 128 K-1st grade students participated in the
spring soybean program. This program included a look at how soybeans
grow; the many different products that are produced from soybeans;
beanie baby activity; as well as touring the park’s barnyard. CFB
volunteers hatched chicks and the kids made horse bookmarks, wool-
covered bars of soap at Animal Mania. Approximately 3000 visited the
park to participate in the different activities. The program continues to
grow as we look to expand the number of days we do programs at the
park and are continuing to involve more farmers, FFA and 4-H members in
doing the activities at the park.
Kane, "SPROUTS" – Reading to Urban Teachers & Students. May 9 - 13,
2011. 4th year of program to help students learn about ag, how it affects
their lives and prepare 3rd grade students (and teachers) for CFB
programs, curriculum and materials offered in 4th grade. Reading
volunteers attended a March training session to prepare to go to
classrooms to read "Heartland" to students and use hands on activities
and visuals to help with comprehension. Teachers are provided follow up
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activities and "Farmer George Plants a Nation" for class libraries. 16
volunteers read to 50 classrooms, reaching over 1700 students.
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