Derby Week is a Great Time to Celebrate our Horse Heritage

The running of the Kentucky Derby and our rich equine heritage definitely make life unique in our great Commonwealth of Kentucky. We have put a few quick lessons and resources together to help introduce your students to the equine industry and "the greatest two minutes in sports."

Lessons on Horses & The Kentucky Derby - http://www.teachkyag.org/equine.html

http://www.teachkyag.org/equine.html 

Many thanks are provided to the Kentucky Horse Council and the Kentucky Equine Education Project for their support of our programs. 

KyAEC Awarded Additional Grant for Agriculture Education Projects

On Friday, the Kentucky Agricultural Development Board, chaired by Gov. Steve Beshear, approved an additional $72,500 for curriculum and educator training projects during its April board meeting. This amount is in addition to the $71,384 awarded at the March board meeting for a new Mobile Science Activity Center. The grants are being provided for half the cost of the following programs:

• Mobile Science Activity Center - new trailer designed for use in eastern Kentucky.
• Video and activity guide production for use with the Mobile Science Activity Centers
• Development of "ag day" curriculum tools and displays for use by agricultural organizations
• In-classroom agriculture literacy resource development - print and web based
• Development of Kentucky agriculture booklet for use by farms and agriculture organizations
• Training workshops for volunteer agriculture educators and farms offering school tours and agritourism
• Agriculture curriculum workshops for student teachers.

Kentucky Agriculture and Environment in the Classroom will work to implement these programs over the next two years and thanks the Kentucky Agricultural Development Board for their commitment to advancing agriculture literacy. 

Earth Day is April 22: Learn how Kentucky Farmers are Conserving our Land and Water

Some say that every day is Earth Day for our farmers, as they rely on the health of their soil and water supplies to produce safe, quality foods. While all farmers make a special effort to conserve resources, we wanted to highlight farmers that have been recognized by the Leopold Conservation Award the past two years for the conservation methods they have implemented on their Kentucky farms.

Literacy Activities for Earth Day

Have students read any or all of the following Kentucky farmer profiles (download the pdf). Discuss and/or have students complete the corresponding ELA Informational Text Worksheet.

Videos of the farmers may be viewed on our website.

Students may also be given the following writing prompt:

How are Kentucky farmers protecting our land wand water? After reading the farmer profiles and informational texts and/or watching the videos, write an essay in which you describe how Kentucky farmers are currently using sustainable methods to grow food, fiber, and energy. Support your article with evidence from the texts and videos.

DID YOU KNOW that NO-TILL crop farming (the practice of not breaking the soil before planting) has its roots in Kentucky?

Christian County farmer Harry Young, Jr. planted the first commercial no-till crop 50 years ago. While the goal was to reduce soil erosion, additional benefits included reduced fuel use, increased organic matter and water holding capacity, and higher soil quality. Today, about 70 percent of the state's wheat acreage, 50 percent of the corn acreage, and 80 percent of soybean acreage is no-till.

Read the article: Kentucky celebrates 50 years of no-till farming | View the Video

DID YOU KNOW that all Kentucky farms are required to develop and use an Agricultural Water Quality Plan?

The Kentucky General Assembly passed the Kentucky Agricultural Water Quality Act in 1994 to protect surface and groundwater resources from pollution as a result of agriculture and silviculture (forestry) activities. The Agricultural Water Quality Act requires all landowner/land users with 10 or more acres being used for agriculture or silviculture operations to develop and implement a water quality plan using best management practices.

Read more about the Kentucky Agricultural Water Quality Act and Plan

2015 is the International Year of Soils

2015 has been named the International Year of Soils. Several organizations around the world are joining the celebration to raise awareness and promote the sustainability of our limited soil resources. We all have a valuable role in communicating vital information on soils, a life sustaining natural resource. Here you will find a number of resources to help your students learn about soils.

Grades K-2:
I Heart Soil Coloring and Activity Pages
Read "Diary of a Worm" (Video Version) -
& Lesson Plan
Make Soil Crayons
Classifying Soils by Feel and Texture

Read "A Handful of Dirt" 

Edible Soil Layer Activity

Grades 3-5:

A Soil Profile

Soil Erosion Demonstration

Particle Size Demonstration

Caring for the Land - Soil Management

Soil Air Demonstration

Keeping Soil in its Place - Erosion

Perking Through the Pores - Water Holding Capacity

The Farmer Cares for the Land - Environmental Impact

The Soil Chain - Relationships between soil and common objects

Have older students check out the NRCS Soil Health Awareness web site. The resources on this site are designed to help visitors understand the basics and benefits of soil health-and to learn about Soil Health Management Systems from farmers who are using those systems.

To celebrate the International Year of Soils, the Soil Science Society also produced several 2-3 minute educational videos:

January: Soils Sustain Life

February: Soils Support Urban Life

March: Soils Support Agriculture

April: Soils Clean and Capture Water

Writing prompts could be given to students on each resource and video.

For additional resources on soil science for all grade levels, check out our International Year of Soils resource page. 

Kentucky Agricultural Development Board Approves Grant for New Mobile Science Activity Center

Today the Kentucky Agricultural Development Board, chaired by Gov. Steve Beshear, approved $71,384 toward the cost of a new Mobile Science Activity Center (MSAC) and curriculum enhancements during its March board meeting. The MSAC program is provided to schools across the Commonwealth through a partnership between the Kentucky Agriculture and Environment in the Classroom (KyAEC) and the Kentucky Department of Agriculture (KDA). 

In 2013, KyAEC and its member organizations provided more than $250,000 to replace two aging MSAC units operated by KDA. As the current units continue to keep full schedules, KyAEC and KDA agreed to work toward purchasing a third center that is better suited to serve eastern Kentucky schools; the trailer will be shorter to more easily maneuver mountain roads. 

"We are very thankful for the Agricultural Development Board's support of this project," said Jennifer Elwell, KyAEC executive director. "The Mobile Science Activity Centers are educating about 25,000 students each year with hands-on, agriculture and science-based activities, and a new unit will allow us to reach an additional 10,000 students annually."

Working Together to Teach Kentucky Ag

By Jennifer Elwell
Executive Director

An exciting challenge has been presented to me and, ultimately, Kentucky’s farming community. I have been dedicating my professional life almost exclusively to agriculture education efforts the past several months with the Kentucky Agriculture and Environment in the Classroom, and I realize that there are so many more students and teachers we could be reaching. We just need to work together, find new partners, and get creative.

The first task is to expand our current successful programs. The Mobile Science Activity Centers, administered and staffed by the KentuckyDepartment of Agriculture, are teaching the science of agriculture to about 24,000 students annually.

These trailers have been a group effort of our Kentucky agriculture and commodity organizations for many years, and the only limiting factor for reaching more students is time; the trailers continue to stay completely booked throughout the school year. The KAEC is now working to pull resources together to purchase a third Mobile Science Activity Center, which would allow the program to reach another 8,000 to 10,000 students each year. We are thrilled that the KDA has committed to providing staff and support for an additional unit. This is a program teachers request time and time again.

Celebrate Agriculture in the Classroom on National Ag Day - March 18

With our recent weather, it is hard to imagine that we will be welcoming spring in about two weeks. Farmers are itching to get out in their fields to start preparing the land for this year's crops, and we want to celebrate their efforts in providing food for our tables.

Wednesday, March 18, is National Ag Day, and we want to encourage you to plan a classroom activity that helps students understand how food and fiber products are produced and appreciate the role agriculture plays in providing safe, abundant and affordable products.

Here are a few suggestions:

K-3: Read a book that accurately portrays agriculture 

Each year, the American Farm Bureau Foundation selects an agriculture book for volunteers to read in classrooms across the country on Ag Day. Teaching plans and additional resources are available.

This year's book is The Apple Orchard Riddle by Margaret McNamara. In this playful and humorous story, the students learn a lot about apples and apple orchards-including how apples are harvested, how cider is made, and what the different varieties of apples are-while trying to solve a riddle. Purchase the book from AFBF if it is not available in your library. An educator's guide aligned to Common Core Standards is also available for purchase.

Kentucky Connection - After reading the book, teachers may then show their students this Kentucky Farms Feed Me video about an apple orchard in Kentucky. A teacher's guide and student worksheets are available for printing free of charge.

We have additional book suggestions on our Pinterest page for various ages and reading levels.