KyAEC Plans Agriculture Literacy Network Workshop - February 5, 2016

The Agriculture Literacy Network was formed to provide training, services and resources to those who currently or are interested in educating students and the public on agricultural topics.

Supporters of the Kentucky Agriculture and Environment in the Classroom realized that non-traditional educators may be our greatest resource in providing agricultural literacy programs to our students and the general public through classroom visits, farm tours, festivals, fairs, and interacting with the public.

Membership in the Agriculture Literacy Network is $50 annually, and includes registration for state-wide ALN Workshop, Friday, February 5, in Bowling Green. Sessions include learning how to use available resources from KyAEC and supporting organizations, connecting with teachers and providing what they need, organizing a successful ag day event, encouraging schools to visit your farm, and more.

To learn more about the Agriculture Literacy Network and Workshop, visit https://www.teachkyag.org/agriculture-literacy-network-of-kentucky.html. Registration deadline is January 27.

 

Primary sponsors of the Agriculture Literacy Network are Kentucky Agricultural Development Fund and Farm Credit Mid-America. Additional support is provided by Kentucky Pork Producers, Kentucky Soybean Promotion Board, Agri-Business Association of Kentucky, Kentucky Corn, Kentucky Small Grain Growers Association, Kentucky Livestock Coalition, Kentucky Veterinary Medical Association, Kentucky Association of Conservation Districts, Southeast United Dairy Industry Association, and the Kentucky Dairy Development Council.

KyAEC Thanks Former Kentucky First Lady Libby Jones for 23 Years of Service

Mrs. Libby Jones, wife of former Kentucky Governor Brereton Jones and co-owner of Airdrie Stud in Midway, has been serving the Kentucky Agriculture and Environment in the Classroom since its incorporation in 1992. She recently, however, announced her retirement from the KyAEC Board to allow the next generation to take the lead.

Libby has been such an incredible asset to KyAEC and a true champion of agricultural literacy and protecting our agriculture land and heritage. She is a director of American Farmland Trust, Vice-Chair of Bluegrass Conservancy, and Director of the Kentucky Historical Society Foundation. She is also active in soil conservation efforts statewide as a director of the P.A.C.E. Board, working to protect Kentucky's most productive farmlands in perpetuity.

In honor of Mrs. Jones service, we are developing a farmland preservation activity for members of our Agriculture Literacy Network to utilize with students.

Please help us thank Libby for her time and dedication to KyAEC these many years. Letters and cards may be addressed to Airdrie Stud, PO Box 487, Midway, KY 40347.

Agriculture Adventures Reaches 11,000 Students in 2015

Kentucky Agriculture and Environment in the Classroom was able to provide 43 individual shows to more than 11,000 students in 2015 with its Agriculture Adventures program. This Kentucky Academic Standards-aligned performance teaches kids how a pizza is grown from the soil up. A combination of hands-on activities reinforce what the students have learned. These components can be provided separately to fit the needs of the school or sponsoring organization.

Many of the programs have been sponsored by county Farm Bureau and Conservation District Offices or other local organizations and businesses. Providing volunteers is also a huge commitment for the schools and sponsors, and we appreciate everyone's participation.

Dates are starting to fill for 2016. Please contact us soon to book your agricultural literacy experience in your community or visit https://www.teachkyag.org/agriculture-adventures.html for more information.

Several hundred kids experienced Agriculture Adventures over two days at Gallrein Farms in Shelbyville this past September. The program was sponsored by the Shelby County Farm Bureau. Gallrein Farms has rebooked to provide the program over two weeks in 2016.

The following sponsored/hosted programs in 2015:

Daviess Co. Farm Bureau
Daviess Co. Conservation District
Simpson Co. Extension
Anderson Co. Farm Bureau
Gilkison Farms (Clark Co.)
Newton Parrish Elementary
Garrard Co. Farm Bureau
Lincoln Co. Farm Bureau
Kentucky State Fair Board Shelby Co. Farm Bureau
Gallrein Farms (Shelby Co.)
McLean Co. Fair Board
Clay Co. Farm Bureau
Mercer Co. Farm Bureau
Kentucky Poultry Federation
A Better Community Foundation (Fleming Co.) 

Kentucky Ag Literacy Partners Cut Ribbon on Third Mobile Science Activity Center

Agriculture Commissioner James Comer and Kentucky's agricultural literacy partners cut the ribbon to ceremonially launch the new Eastern Kentucky Mobile Science Activity Center that will travel to schools and events throughout the region. 

“The new Mobile Science Activity Center is designed to negotiate some of the challenging terrain that can be found in parts of eastern Kentucky,” Commissioner Comer said during the November 13 ceremony at the Kentucky Exposition Center. “This unit will enable us to reach more schools in the region so we can help educators teach their students about the importance of agriculture in their everyday lives.”

The Eastern Kentucky Mobile Science Activity Center is a 36-foot-long trailer equipped with 10 iPad interactive workstations for students to conduct activities and investigations related to agriculture and the environment. It will be placed into service after the first of the year.

The new unit will join two 44-foot-long Mobile Science Activity Centers that travel to schools and events throughout the Commonwealth. The mobile units are administered by the Division of Agriculture Education and Outreach in the Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s Office of Marketing.

The Eastern Kentucky unit is part of the Appalachia Proud initiative that Commissioner Comer launched in February 2014 to promote farm products and improve agricultural literacy in 37 eastern Kentucky counties.

The new MSAC was purchased and outfitted with support from the Kentucky Agricultural Development Fund and Kentucky Agriculture and Environment in the Classroom Inc.’s member partners: the Kentucky Pork Producers, the AgriBusiness Association of Kentucky, Farm Credit Mid-America, the Kentucky Beef Council, the Kentucky Cattlemen’s Association, the Kentucky Corn Growers Association, the Kentucky Dairy Development Council, the Kentucky Equine Education Project, Kentucky Farm Bureau, the Kentucky Goat Producers Association, the Kentucky Horse Council, the Kentucky Pork Producers Association, the Kentucky Poultry Federation, the Kentucky Retail Federation, the Kentucky Small Grain Growers' Association, the Kentucky Soybean Promotion Board, and the Kentucky Veterinary Medical Association.

KyAEC Reaches 3,500 Youth and Adults with Ag Literacy Programs at the Kentucky State Fair

Kentucky Agriculture and Environment in the Classroom was able to reach an estimated 3,500 youth and adults with their agriculture literacy programs at the Kentucky State Fair, August 20-30, 2015.

"The Kentucky State Fair is the perfect venue to reach a large number of Kentucky's citizens about how agriculture impacts our daily lives," said Jennifer Elwell, KyAEC executive director. "While many agriculture education efforts are underway during the fair, we wanted to add our programs to the mix in order to introduce our organization as a primary coordinator of agriculture literacy efforts for schools and youth programs."

Through a partnership with the Kentucky State Fair Board, KyAEC provided its Agriculture Adventures program on the Kids Biz stage twice a day during the run of the fair. Agriculture Adventures is a 30-minute show that tells how a pizza is made with the help of Kentucky's farmers.

KyAEC and its member volunteers also provided agricultural learning activities to visitors at the KSFB's Children's Coloring Mural. The activities are part of the Agriculture on the Move program, which provides hand-on agriculture lessons to members of the Agriculture Literacy Network.

KyAEC introduced it's latest Kentucky-specific agriculture resource as well, the Kentucky Agriculture A to Z Coloring Book.

"There are so many wonderful agriculture literacy resources and lessons from the nation's agricultural organizations, but we also want to provide learning that provided specific information about Kentucky farms, food and agribusiness," said Elwell. "This coloring book provides a snapshot of how Kentucky agriculture works to provide us food, jobs, and natural resources."

The coloring book was produced with a matching Kentucky Agricultural Development Fund investment and will be sold to further support agricultural literacy efforts in the commonwealth.

KyAEC would like to provide a special thank you to its many Kentucky State Fair volunteers: Kentucky Poultry Federation, Cal-Main Foods, Pilgrim's Pride, and Perdue.

For more information about Kentucky's agricultural literacy programs, visit www.teachkyag.org.

CHS Grants for K-12 Teachers Available - $1,500 Awarded for Use of Ag-Based Lessons

CHS is providing five Classroom Grants through the National Agriculture in the Classroom. The $1,500 grants will be awarded to kindergarten through 12th grade core education teachers whose innovative classroom projects use agricultural concepts to teach reading, writing, math, nutrition, science and/or social studies. The deadline for grant proposals is September 15, 2015. Recipients will be notified by email on or before October 1, 2015.   

The CHS Classroom Grant Program is designed to fund projects that will educate K-12 students about the importance of agriculture and allow teachers to use agricultural concepts to teach core subject areas. Those who receive one of the five grants will be required to use at least two lesson plans from the National Agricultural Literacy Curriculum Matrix or two lesson plans from a state Agriculture in the Classroom program.

In addition, grant proposals must demonstrate how local farmers, ranchers or agriculture industry representatives will be involved in the project. 

Grant reviewers will use this CHS Grant Rubric. 

CHS will highlight the winning classroom grants at its annual meeting in December 2016.

Timeline:
Grant proposals must be submitted online by midnight (PST) September 15, 2015.
Awards will be announced via email October 1, 2015
A final report due to the National Agriculture in the Classroom Organization by June 1, 2016.

For more information, visit http://www.agclassroom.org/get/chs_grant.cfm. 

Owensboro Farmer Provides Home-Grown Education for Community Kids

Suzanne Cecil White, a produce farmer in Owensboro, knows the value of education and learning by doing. She is also a strong advocate of healthy eating and providing her community a personal connection to her farm. By adding these passions together, this former high school math teacher has a formula for success.

Two years ago, Suzanne wanted to create a program that allowed kids to get their hands dirty and understand how fruits and vegetables are produced locally. Once a week for six weeks, she hosted a "Farm Camp" for kids ages 7-10. The kids were able to plant and harvest their own vegetables while learning about farming along the way. They also visited other farms in the area to learn about livestock and different farm enterprises. The camp was a huge success, and several parents asked if it would be offered again.

The produce season of 2014 came with a new addition to her family, but she knew she wanted to continue providing educational programs through her farm.

Earlier this year, she connected with a local Boys and Girls Club (Cliff Hagan Boys and Girls Club) through her involvement in area leadership organizations. The club was offering a locally-funded program called "Positive Sprouts" and Suzanne wanted to offer her expertise and her farm for their curriculum.

Suzanne provided the club a small plot on her family's produce farm (Cecil Farms Produce). They planted on March 31st and have been tending it at least once weekly ever since. The kids are now enjoying harvesting the vegetables, and they sell it at the local farmer's market, use it for meals at the club, or provide it for their families. The money the kids make at the farmer's market goes back to the program.

"This has been a very successful program," Suzanne said. "The kids love it. The community members love it. The farmer's market customers love it. I had a customer start crying because she saw the joy on the kids' faces when they shared their experience with her. This has had such a positive impact on everyone involved.