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Agriculture Education Mission:  
"To increase awareness within the general public that our abundant, safe and inexpensive food
 and fiber supply is provided by America's farmers."


Order the KFB Children's Books!
Teachers, You'll find free lesson plans here too!

 


Order the KFB Documentary DVD
'The care & feeding of farm animals'

 

Click a headline, click back to return


Ag Education Resources
 

America's Heartland

Be Ag-Wise

Classroom Project Ideas

Do-It-Yourself Programs


Farm-City Week Information
 

Food Check-Out Week



 

Foundation Grants


Glossary of Kansas Agriculture
 

National Ag Day


National Ag in the Classroom Conf.
 

Programs Available


Top 10 Ag Books

 


 
White-Reinhardt Mini-grants and
Teacher Scholarships

 


 

Request an Ag Education program for your county:
Ag Education Program Request Forms


Ag Education Videos Available for Check-Out

Click here to view the Ag Education videos available for check-out. 

Click here to send an e-mail to request a video.
(Requests must come from a county Farm Bureau.  Videos will be shipped to the county Farm Bureau and may kept for up to two weeks.)


National Ag Day

National Ag Day was celebrated March 15 during National Ag Week (March 13-19, 2011).

National Ag Day, sponsored by the Agriculture Council of America, is promoted through awareness efforts in communities across America. Ag Day is about recognizing and celebrating the contribution of agriculture in our everyday lives. The program encourages Americans to learn more about how food and fiber products are produced, value the essential role of agriculture in maintaining a strong economy and to appreciate the role agriculture plays in providing safe, abundant and affordable products.

Visit the Ag Day website for event ideas, promotional materials, interactive media (web banners, logos, etc.), videos and fun facts about food. You may also register for national Ag Day events in Washington, D.C., online. A publicity guide that includes a sample press release and public service announcement scripts also is available here.
 


America's Heartland

A new educational component for America's Heartland, the weekly public television series that profiles the people, places and products of U.S. agriculture, is now available online.  A series of 42 student study guides with answer keys for teachers have been developed to accompany 42 segments from season one of the program.

The field-tested lessons focus on career exploration and are targeted to secondary-and collegiate-age students.  They are ideal for use by classroom teachers to enhance instruction in a range of subject areas.  Students also may use the study guides on their own.  Subject categories for study guides and lessons include career profiles, food science, agri-tourism, animals, aquaculture, environmental stewardship, fruits, vegetables, specialty products and technology.

Later this spring, additional materials will be introduced for younger and older students.  Subject areas will include the environment, history, geography, food science, trade and much more.  Educational materials are available free of charge online here.

 


Do-It-Yourself programs for motivated volunteers

New & Improved "DIY" Programs
An addition has been made to the Do-It-Yourself Agricultural Education Programs.  Kansas assessed academic standards have been added to most of the programs.  The standards correlate to the programs subject matter and the projected audiences' age.  The Agricultural Education Programs (listed below) standards are assessed standards.  This addition should be beneficial to teachers and presenters who are facilitating the many different programs.

Addressing Misconceptions About Agriculture
Agriculture: Get in the Game!
Agriculture Gets into Your DNA

Agriculture's Environmental Success Story: Growing More with Less

Bean Team

Benefit Silent Auction
Breaking Down Bread
Capitol Experience
Cleo Cotton's Big Adventure
Connect the Dots - Where Does my Food Come From? D-I-Y Program (Uses resources provided by the Cattlemen's Beef Board)
Did You Know We Grow Cheeseburgers in Kansas?

Did You Know We Grow Pizza in Kansas?
Farming Is More Than Food
Food Check-Out Week Consumer Ag Education Stations
Growing a Nation
KFB's Ag Literacy Day
Kansas Stone Soup 
Make it Magnetic
Slice of Soil

Ten Things Kids Want to Know About Farming
The Farmer Grows a Rainbow

Where Does My Food Come From?



Kailey's Ag Adventure "DIY" Series Lesson Plans

Ag Adventure Series Resources
 (items with little or no cost)




Farm to Fridge: Milk Comes From A Cow? Lesson Plan for Grades K-2

Milk (and Ice Cream) Comes From A Cow? Lesson Plan for Pre-K - Grade 3

(Many Kinds of) Milk Comes From A Cow?
Lesson Plan for Grades 2 & 3

Milk Fun Facts Sheet




Layers of Soil Lesson Plan for Pre-K - Grade 2

Texturing Soil Lesson Plan for Pre-K - Grade 2

The Soil Race  
Lesson Plan for Pre-K - Grade 2

Soil Fun Facts Sheet




The Big World of Animal Agriculture: CAREERS
Lesson Plan for K - Grade 3

The Big World of Animal Agriculture: PRODUCTS Lesson Plan for K - Grade 3

Where is Animal Agriculture in Your World? (choose save when opening to view as a PowerPoint; click open to view as a webpage)

Animals from Farm to You / Animals and the Products They Give You

Thank Farmers and Ranchers for Healthy Food! Lesson Plan for Pre-K - Grade 2

Caring for an Animal's Needs
Lesson Plan for Pre-K - Grade 2

Farm Animal Circle of Care
Lesson Plan for Pre-K - Grade 2

Farm Animal Care Fun Facts Sheet




Beyond Bread Lesson Plan for Grades 1 - 3

I Work with Wheat Lesson Plan for Grades 1 & 2

Pizza, Pizza, Pizza Lesson Plan for Grades 1 & 2
     Pizza, Pizza, Pizza Power Point
(choose save when opening to view as a PowerPoint; click open to view as a webpage)

The Battle of the Breads Lesson Plan for Pre K -  Grade 4

Wheat Fun Facts Sheet




Day One - Growing Up With Grains! Lesson Plan for Grades 2 and 3

Day Two - Valuable Nutrition From Vegetables Lesson Plan for Grades 2 and 3

Day Three - Feeding a Healthy Mind and Body with Fruits! Lesson Plan for Grades 2 and 3

Day Four - Daily Doses of Dairy Lesson Plan for Grades 2 and 3

Day Five - Planning a Healthy Life with Proteins! Lesson Plan for Grades 2 and 3

Fun Fact Guide to Nutrition

 



Be Ag-Wise Professional Development Workshops

Be Ag-Wise workshops are designed especially for agriculture education presenters at the county level.  Attending a session will give participants the opportunity to receive training for a variety of agriculture-based, hands-on learning labs; receive resource materials; share ideas; network with others and practice their presentation skills. 

2012 Be Ag-Wise: Ag Counts! Math + Agriculture = Hands-on learning

Kansas Farm Bureau (KFB) and Kansas Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom (KFAC) will host the fifth annual Be Ag-Wise training workshop in five Kansas communities.  The theme for 2012 is "Ag Counts! Math + Agriculture = Hands-on Learning."  Dates and locations are: Emporia - January 14; Manhattan - January 21; Colby - February 25, Garden City - March 3 and Wichita - March 10.

Participants will have the opportunity to receive training for a variety of Ag-based hands-on learning labs, receive several resource materials, share ideas that work and network with others.

Click here to access the 2012 Be Ag-Wise Agenda.

Click here to access the 2012 Be Ag-Wise registration form.


2011 Be Ag-Wise

The theme for 2011 was "
Farmers & Ranchers CARE: Care and Respect Everyday" and focused on animal welfare and protecting the environment. 

The Big World of Animal Agriculture: CAREERS

The Big World of Animal Agriculture: PRODUCTS

     Where is Animal Agriculture in Your World? (choose save when opening to view as a PowerPoint; click open to view as a webpage)

     Animals from Farm to You / Animals and the Products They Give You

Farm Animal Circle of Care

K-W-L Chart

Connect the Dots - Where Does my Food Come From? D-I-Y Program (Uses resources provided by the Cattlemen's Beef Board)

Caretakers ALL Lesson Plan

Pictures from the 2011 training sessions (click on a photo to enlarge it)



 



 


 


 


 
Farmers & Ranchers CARE:
Care and Respect Everyday

 

2010 Be Ag-Wise
In 2010, the theme "The Farmer Grows a Rainbow" was based on the classroom kit (produced by North Carolina Agriculture in the Classroom) that focused on the link between agriculture and the MyPyramid nutritional resource.  The lessons in the kit contain great interactive pieces that make learning fun and the topics of nutrition and exercise are welcomed by schools.  Our goal was to make sure youth understand that the "rainbow" of abundant, safe food they enjoy comes from farmers. 

During the workshops, participants received resource materials on the topic, lunch and refreshments.  For an additional registration fee, participants also received the official "
The Farmer Grows a Rainbow" kit, which included color copies of activities, classroom supplies and a large magnetic MyPyramid.

Select handouts from the sessions are linked below.  All remaining handouts are available from an official "The Farmer Grows a Rainbow" kit.

Kansas Stone Soup DIY Program

Food Group Supplemental Fact Sheets
Fruit
Grains
Meat & Beans
Milk
Vegetables

 

2009 Be Ag Wise

The following lessons are from the 2009 Be Ag Wise Professional Development Workshop sponsored by Kansas Farm Bureau and the Kansas Foundation for Ag in the Classroom.

The theme was Natural Resources and the lessons included:

Water Related Lesson Plans

Be a Watershed: Create a Living River
Exploration Watershed
Kansas Ponds, Lakes and Reservoirs
There's a Watershed in My Backyard
Piece Like a River

What in the World is a Watershed?


Prairie Related Lesson Plans

Additional Prairie Resources and Extensions
Kansas Prairies Vocabulary
Prairie Food Chains and Food Webs

Prairie Tic Tac Toe
The Coyote Population
The Prairie Is

What's it all About?


2008 Be Ag Wise


The following lessons are from the 2008 Be Ag Wise Professional Development Workshop sponsored by Kansas Farm Bureau and the Kansas Foundation for Ag in the Classroom.


Cottage Cheese-Making
Edible Soil Profile
The Secret Life of a French Fry
My Farm Web
Salsa Gardening
Source Search


Slice of Agriculture - A Community-Based Youth Education Project
This program is designed to be organized and implemented by a local planning board made up of representatives from cooperating agencies and other interested individuals.  This may include local farmers, school district curriculum coordinator, K-State Research and Extension agents, teachers, county Farm Bureau members, 4-H and FFA members, soil conservation districts, local businesses and various producer and commodity associations.  Leadership responsibilities will be shared rather than assumed by a single individual or agency.  Having local leaders involved in planning and delivery means Slice of Agriculture programs are customized for each community.

To learn more about the foundational elements of this program and its unique benefits to the school, community and agricultural producers and organizations, contact Jana Beckman at the Kansas Center for Sustainable Agriculture and Alternative Crops at 785/532-1440 or e-mail her at beckman@ksu.edu.



What's Growing in Kansas? A Seven Part Series on Kansas Ag
Part 1 - How Does Agriculture Affect You?
Part 2 - Our Main Grain Wheat
Part 3 - Our Other Cash Products
Part 4 - Leading the Herd

Part 5 - Pig Business is Big Business
Part 6 - Agriculture's Vital Resources: Soil and Water
Part 7 - Renewable Fuels



Outside Sources for Agriculture Education
 
Organizations: Click here to be added to the list

 



Classroom Project Ideas: 

A Slice of Soil

Bread in a Bag & Butter in a Jar

"Circles of the Earth" Bracelet

Classroom Pumpkin Pie

Homemade Sidewalk Chalk

Let's Make Ice Cream

Seed Packet Project --- Seed Cards


2012 National Agriculture in the Classroom Conference

Join us June 19-22 in Loveland, Colorado for the 2012 National Agriculture in the Classroom Conference which will feature engaging, interactive workshops that show educators how to incorporate real-life agricultural applications into their language arts, math, nutrition, science and social studies lessons.  Professional development points and college credit are available for attendees.

Click here to learn more about this conference.  Additional information will be posted as it is received.

 


 


Food Check-Out Week 

Food Check-Out Week, involving Farm Bureaus at the county, state and national level, celebrates the abundance and safety of food.  Since 2009, the theme for Food Check-Out Week has been: “Stretching Your Grocery Dollar With Healthy, Nutritious Food”

Food Check-Out Week will be held the third full week (Sunday through Saturday) of February. In 2012, that means Food Check-Out Week will be Feb. 19-25.  The third week of February was selected as a bridge to National Nutrition Month in March.  

Food Check-Out Week will continue to provide the opportunity to support charities such as Ronald McDonald Houses, local food banks and shelters, through food and cash donations.

Key messages for the program are:

  • Farm Bureau is helping consumers find solutions to eating healthy on a stretched budget.

  • America's farmers and ranchers are committed to producing safe, abundant and healthy food.

  • Through charitable donations to local Ronald McDonald Houses (and other charities) during Food Check-Out Week, we recognize the need everyone has to find solutions to feeding families healthy foods on a tight budget.

"DIY" Food Check-Out Week Consumer Ag Education Stations

Click here to access 2012 Food Check-Out Week Talking Points & Event Planning Tips
           (great information year round!)

Click here to see a sample of the 2011 Food Check-Out Week activities held around Kansas.

Click here to access the FCOW News Release

Click here to access the FCOW Proclamation

Click here to access the FCOW logo

Click here to access a FCOW Ad (without RMD info)

Click here to access a FCOW Ad (with RMD info)

Click here to access the 2012 FCOW Trivia Questions

Click here to find a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about the new Food Check-Out Week program.

Activity Ideas

Print Food Check-Out Week Table Tents here.

Click here to see what other states have done to celebrate Food Check-Out Week.

Supermarket Station Examples:


Alternative Proteins


Dairy


Produce


Protein


Whole Grains

Free one-page nutrition facts sheets:

Food Check-Out Week consumer ag education stations:

Order promotional materials directly from the American Farm Bureau to plan your Food Check-Out events today!

Available materials include:

  • Food Check-Out Week Supermarket Kit

  • Nutrition Fact Cards

  • Recipe Cards (meats, produce, grains, protein and alternative proteins)

  • Reusable Shopping Bags

  • Announcement Posters, Stickers and more!


The History of Food Check-Out Week

Mid-1990s
Establishing a day for food similar to “Tax Freedom Day,” which would also honor the contributions of farmers and ranchers, was discussed at a strategic planning session of the South Carolina Farm Bureau. Betty DeWitt, chair of the SCFB Women’s Committee and dairy farmer Hugh Weathers (now South Carolina’s agriculture commissioner) were the initial champions of the idea. DeWitt brought the idea to the AFB Women’s Committee for consideration.

1997
Linda Reinhardt, AFB Women’s Committee chair, made initial contacts and worked tirelessly to establish the Farm Bureau – Ronald McDonald House connection that continues to this day. The Kansas Farm Bureau Women’s Committee donated $1,500 to five Ronald McDonald Houses in the state. In addition, several county Farm Bureau Women’s Committees in Indiana held Food Check-Out Day events.


Food Check-Out Day, 1998. To the left of Ronald McDonald is Linda Reinhardt of Kansas, AFB Women’s Committee chair.

1998
First national Food Check-Out Day event held in Chicago. Case Corporation (now Case IH) provided a tractor to pull groceries donated by the AFB Women’s Committee down the streets of Chicago to the doorstep of the Ronald McDonald House.

Farm Bureaus from around the country celebrated the event in its first year of organized effort.

In a report on the new initiative, AFB Women’s Committee Chair Linda Reinhardt noted, “This program has grown in just one year’s time to become a great addition to promoting the voice of agriculture.”

1999
National event in Phoenix.

2000
National event in Nashville.

2001
National event in Philadelphia. Despite a heavy snowstorm in the region, a successful event was held at the Philadelphia Ronald McDonald House. The Philly house was the first one in the nation, opened in 1974.

2002
National event in Las Vegas.

2003
National event in New Orleans.

2004
National event in Jacksonville, Florida.

2005
National event in Los Angeles.

2006
Food Check-Out Day became Food Check-Out Week, to provide more flexibility for Farm Bureaus to schedule activities and events.

National events in Washington, D.C., at the Ronald McDonald House of Greater Washington, and the U.S. Agriculture Department, where then-Secretary Mike Johanns signed a proclamation recognizing Food Check-Out Week.

Case IH, which had been a sponsor of Food Check-Out events since 1998, donated a pedal tractor and farm toys for the children at the house.

2007
National events in Baltimore and Washington, D.C. Food and monetary donations were made to the Ronald McDonald House of Baltimore. Committee members also held a reception on Capitol Hill for their members of Congress.

Case IH donated a pedal tractor and farm toys for the children at the house.

For the first time, books about agriculture were donated to the house by the American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture.

Through 2007, state and county Farm Bureaus had donated more than $2.3 million in monetary and food donations to Ronald McDonald Houses and other charities.

2008
National event at Ronald McDonald House of Columbia, S.C.

Betty DeWitt, former chair of the SCFB Women’s Committee and member of the AFB Women’s Leadership Committee, and Hugh Weathers, South Carolina’s commissioner of agriculture, were honored for originating the idea of Food Check-Out Day in the 1990s. DeWitt credited the success of the long-running program to the collective efforts of many people, but particularly Linda Reinhardt of Kansas (former chair of the AFB Women’s Committee), for establishing the Farm Bureau – Ronald McDonald House connection.

Case IH donated a pedal tractor and farm toys for the children staying at the house.



Foundation Grants

For more information about the KFB Foundations click here.

Introduction to Writing Grants

How to Write a KFB Foundation for Agriculture Grant Application

Excellence in Teaching Grants

 


 

Glossary of Kansas Agriculture

 


White-Reinhardt Mini-grants and Teacher Scholarships

Agricultural Education Mini-Grants

The Mini-Grant Program funds projects that will increase agricultural literacy. County and state Farm Bureaus may apply for grants of up to $500 for classroom education programs for grades K-12 to initiate new programs or expand existing programs to additional grade levels or new subject areas. Grants are available on a competitive basis.

Distributed through county and state Farm Bureaus, the grants are used to fund new projects or extend existing agricultural education efforts. Click here for a 2012 grant application.

Mini-grant applications must be completed and submitted to the state Agriculture in the Classroom coordinator (Attn: Holly Higgins, Kansas Farm Bureau, 2627 KFB Plaza, Manhattan KS 66503-8155) for signature by October 21, 2011.

• Applications to the American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture must be postmarked by November 1, 2011, for projects that are to be completed by November 15, 2012.

• Recipients of the grants will be announced by early March 2012.

The White-Reinhardt Fund for Education is a project of the AFB Foundation for Agriculture in cooperation with the AFB Women's Leadership Committee.  The fund honors two former committee chairwomen, Berta White and former chair of the Kansas Farm Bureau Women's Committee, Linda Reinhardt, who were leaders in early national efforts to expand the outreach of agricultural education and improve agricultural literacy.

2011 Mini-Grants Awarded to State and County Farm Bureaus:

Ada County, Idaho: Traveling Man Who Fed the World classroom set and curriculum.

Alaska Ag in the Classroom: Portable white board system to write and review high-tech lessons on ag literacy.

Arizona Farm Bureau: Creation of a “petting zoo” with animal-sized cutouts and facts.

Brown County AITC, Wis.: Red Barn Learning Center kits for elementary grade students.

Calhoun County Farm Bureau, Ill.: Spring planting/fall harvesting program to show the growth cycle of corn and soybeans.

Calhoun County Farm Bureau, Mich.: Accurate Ag resource kits.

Gratiot County Farm Bureau, Mich.: Grow a pizza project—students grow their own plants.

Hiawathaland County Farm Bureau, Mich.: Incubators for hatching demonstrations and a lending library.

Huron County, Mich.: Placement of Ag Quest packets in schools.

Indiana Farm Bureau: Traveling flip cameras for filming farming operations, ag days and school demonstrations to share with students.

Isabella County Farm Bureau, Mich.: Portable greenhouses and gardening books.

Jackson County Farm Bureau, Wis.: Ag activity kits on apples, bees, cranberries, corn, soybeans, dairy, sunflowers, forestry and nutrition.

Kendall County Farm Bureau, Ill.: Professional display board on careers in agriculture, technology and food science.

Lincoln County Farm Bureau, W.Va.: Lincoln Learning Garden to increase student knowledge of where food comes from.

Manitowoc County Farm Bureau, Wis.: Traveling ag presentation and materials kit.

Marion County Farm Bureau, Fla.: Ag-Ventures event education stations and “make-and-takes.”

McHenry County Farm Bureau, Ill.: Seasons of Change displays with facts on food, fiber and fuel.

Michigan Farm Bureau: Captain Food Fabulous series: Exploring the Wonders of Michigan’s Natural Resources.

Missaukee County Farm Bureau, Mich.: Traveling book barn library.

Monroe County Farm Bureau, Ill.: Accurate Ag book library and Ag Mag prizes for schools at National Ag Week events.

North Dakota Farm Bureau: Ag Day at 30 local libraries with book reading and hands-on activities.

Rock Island Farm Bureau, Ill.: Horticulture outreach program.

Russell County Farm Bureau, Va.: Hands-on What’s Growing in Virginia? activities and From Cow to Carton program.

Shelby County Farm Bureau, Ohio: Watching the Seeds Grow school garden project.

Virginia Foundation for Ag in the Classroom: Donation of Ready, Set, Grow! books to 200 Classrooms.

Wexford County Farm Bureau, Mich.: Traveling book barn library.

Windham County Farm Bureau, Conn.: Planting a pizza garden project.

Wisconsin Farm Bureau: The Agriculture – Bringing Music to our Lives project takes ag-related songs and incorporates them into lessons.

 




 


Ag Education/Leadership Brochures  Get Adobe Reader

Ag Education
A Day in the Life of Agriculture
ABC's of Kansas Agriculture color book
Did You Know We Grow Cheeseburgers in Kansas?
Did You Know We Grow Pizza in Kansas?

Help the Cow Find Her Way Back to the Farm
How Many Hazards Can You Find?
Kailey's Activity & Coloring Book
Moving to the Country? Things You Should Know

One Day on the Farm: A Fire Safety Story
Seed Cards
There is no Such Thing as a Vegan


Caring for Farm Animals
Pamphlet cover - Pamphlet inside


Current Food Price Information
Farm Expenses Up: Share of Food Dollar Unchanged
Fuel, Transportation and Energy Drive Retail Food Prices
Ethanol Benefits the Environment
Ethanol Saves Consumers $50 Billion
Most of Retail Food Dollar Not Going to Farmers
Talking Points

Leadership
Making Introductions --- Teach Your Butterflies to Fly in Formation
Respect the Flag


 

More Agriculture Education Resources

Ag Day

AFBF Ag Education

America's Lasting Heritage

Animal Ag Alliance

Atlas of Rural and Small-town America

FFA Learning Center

Food Inc. Response by American AgriWomen

I Love Farmers...They Feed My Soul

Kansas Department of Agriculture

Kansas Farm Facts 2010
(provided by the US Department of Ag in cooperation with the Kansas Department of Ag)

Kansas Family Partnership, Inc (Kansas Family Day)

Kansas Farm Bureau's Top 10 Ag Ed Book List (.pdf)

Kansas Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom

Kansas State Research & Extension

My American Farm

National Ag Week

National Farm-City Council
(Farm-City Week info)
     Using Media Baskets to Spread the Farm-City Week Message (.pdf)

Plenty to Think About

Real Farmers, Real Food

State Agricultural Fun Facts

The Real Dirt on Farming II

True Environmentalists

U.S. Dept. of Agriculture

U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service

 

 

 

Kansas Farm Bureau, 2627 KFB Plaza, Manhattan, Kansas 66503 - 785.587.6000