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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."
Click a headline, click back to
return
Request an Ag Education program for your
county:
County Ag Education
Program Info & 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.)
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
Addressing
Misconceptions About Agriculture
Agriculture: Get in the
Game!
Did You Know We
Grow Cheeseburgers in Kansas?
Did You Know We Grow Pizza
in Kansas?
Farming Is More Than
Food
Growing a Nation
Slice of Soil
Ten Things Kids Want to Know
About Farming
Kailey's Accurate Ag Adventure Series - Lesson Plans:
Milk Comes From a Cow?
Milk (and Ice Cream) Comes From A Cow?
Lesson
Plan
for Pre-K through Grade 3
(Many Kinds of) Milk Comes From A Cow?
Lesson
Plan
for Grades 2 & 3
The Soil
Neighborhood
Texturing Soil Lesson Plan for Pre-K
through Grade 2
The Soil Race Lesson Plan for Pre-K
through Grade 2
Farmers and Ranchers Care about their
Animals!
Thank Farmers and Ranchers for Healthy Food!
Lesson Plan for Pre-K through Grade 2
Caring for an Animal's Needs Lesson Plan
for Pre-K through Grade 2
Farm Animal Care Web Lesson Plan for
Pre-K through Grade 2
Earth Day Information
Events are
being planned around the world to commemorate Earth Day, which is April 22.
According to
the organizers, the focus of this year’s
Earth Day campaign is the theme, “The Green
Generation.” Earth Day 2009, April 22, will mark the
beginning of this campaign. It is a two-year initiative that will culminate
with the 40th anniversary of Earth Day in 2010.
The Green
Generation campaign has three stated core principles: a carbon-free future
based on renewable energy that will end dependency on fossil fuels,
including coal; an individual’s commitment to responsible, sustainable
consumption; and creation of a new “green economy” that lifts people out of
poverty by creating millions of quality green jobs and transforms the global
education system into a green one.
Additional information can be found on the
official Earth Day 2009 Web site,
http://www.earthday.net. The site lists programs and events scheduled
for the United States as well as internationally. Other
environmental information, activity or links related directly to agriculture
include:
Additional
resources for talking points are as follows:
2009 National
Ag in the Classroom Conference
Missouri AITC/Illinois AITC
Mark your calendars for June 23 - 27, 2009! Hosted at the Millennium
Hotel, on the bank of the Mississippi, between the Arch and Busch Stadium
and the soon to be completed Ballpark Village. Arrive Tuesday or
Wednesday, events start Wednesday afternoon with traveling workshops on
Friday. Rooms for single, double or quad guaranteed for $129.
Proposed traveling workshop destinations (subject to change): Monsanto, St.
Louis Science Center, Anheuser-Busch Brewery, Mississippi River Lock and Dam
Barge Tour and much, much more!
Click
here for more information and to register.
2009
Be Ag Wise Professional Development Workshops
These workshops are designed for Agriculture Education
presenters at the county level! Look for information on the 2010
sessions soon!
The theme this year was Natural Resources and the lessons covered include:
* There's a Watershed in My Backyard
* Piece Like a River
* Prairie Food Chains and Food Webs
* Photosynthesis Activity
* Flower Power
* Soil Infiltration Activity
* Mudshake
Lesson plans will be available and posted here soon.
2008 Be
Ag Wise Programs
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
Food Check-Out WEEK
Activity Ideas
Print Food Check-Out Week Table Tents
here.
Looking for even MORE ideas? The Food Check-Out
Week State Reports are a "must-read" if your County Farm Bureau has not
participated before but is considering it in 2009 or for those looking for
fresh ideas from counterparts around the country.
2008
State Report
2007 State Report
2006 State Report
2009 Food Check-Out Week Activities
Farm Bureau volunteers were busy during Food
Check-Out Week!
On Monday, February 16, a team of five
shopped for $500 worth of groceries for the Topeka Ronald McDonald
House. Local media later interviewed Fifth District State Women's
Committee member, Jennifer Brunkow then aired a great story about the
event during the evening news. Check back soon for pictures of the
event.
A group of 15 volunteers from the Wichita
area were on hand on Tuesday, February 17 to "shop 'till they dropped"
at the local Wal-Mart. Last year Wal-Mart was approached to match
the $1,000 total that KFB ($500) and Sedgwick County FB ($500)
donated instead of the $500 in the past, we are hoping they will do the
same again this year.
This picture was taken at the end of the
shopping spree in Wichita. Sedgwick County Coordinator, Gayle Ross and
District Four State Women's Committee member Susan Long, are displaying the
cash register ticket for all the items.
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.
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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
2008 Kansas
Thanksgiving Dinner Price Survey
Results
We've conducted a non-scientific
survey
which is sorted by city, total cost and by KFB district. The
population of the cities was added under the assumption that prices
would be lower in areas with larger populations. As you'll see
that didn't prove to be accurate.
Survey
prices were based on:
Frozen, Self-Basting Young Tom
Turkey - 1 lb.
Cube Stuffing (herb seasoned), 14 oz. package
Libby's Pumpkin Pie Mix (not pure pumpkin), 30 oz. can
9" Frozen Pie Shells (2 per package)
Fresh Sweet Potatoes, 1 lb.
Enriched Brown & Serve Rolls, 12 oz./12 per package
Frozen Green Peas, 16 oz. package
Fresh Carrots, 1 lb.
Fresh Celery, bunch
Whole Milk, gallon
Fresh Cranberries, 12 oz. package
Whipping Cream, 1/2 pint carton
Cost of condiments and/or miscellaneous ingredients (butter, salt, pepper,
spices, eggs, etc.) needed to prepare a Thanksgiving menu were not included.
Glossary of Kansas Agriculture
County Farm Bureau Capitol Experience
Kansas Farm Bureau’s Capitol Experience program is designed to provide
high school students a firsthand look at how Kansas government
works. Highlights include touring the State Capitol and its dome,
attending committee meetings, observing the House and Senate in session
and visiting the Judicial Center.
Train the Trainer Notebook
Basic Info
Notebook Content List ---
County Contacts ---
Handy Tips
Registration Form ---
News Release
Registration Packet
Cover Letter
---
Agenda ---
Capitol Map
Capitol Information ---
What to Wear, Where to Be, What to See
How Kansas Legislature Works ---
Writing
Congress or Your Legislator
Welcome to the House
---
Welcome to the Senate
Kansas
Legislative Individual District Maps
(Click name >>>
District Map)
Legislative Glossary
---
Statehouse "Hall of Fame" ---
Program Evaluation
Handouts
Fact Finding Mission ---
Fact Finding Mission Answers
Word Find (with answers)
---
Seal
of the State ---
Contact Cards
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
National Agriculture Week
National Agriculture Week will be celebrated March 15-21, 2009; National
Agriculture Day is March 20.
National Agriculture Day is celebrated each year on or around
the first day of spring. It is a time to celebrate American agriculture and
honor the people who work to food, clothe and fuel the country and abroad.
The Web site for National Ag Day/Week is
http://agday.org/. On this site you will
find useful information, including news releases, calendar of events, feature
stories, talking points and answers to frequently asked questions.
Ag Education/Leadership Brochures
Ag Education
A Day in
the Life of Agriculture
ABC's of
Kansas Agriculture color book
Optional black and white
front
page for color book
Ag Education Bookmarks (front)
Ag Education Bookmarks (back)
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?
Moving to the Country?
Things You Should Know
One Day on the Farm: A Fire Safety Story
Seed Cards
Caring for Farm Animals
Pamphlet cover
- Pamphlet inside
Leadership
Making
Introductions
---
Teach Your Butterflies to Fly in
Formation
Respect the Flag
More Agriculture Education Resources
Ag
Day
AFBF Ag Education
AFBF Recommended
Ag Ed Book List (.pdf)
(The focus of the list is to identify books containing accurate information about agriculture.)
Best Food Nation
Freddie's "Just
for Kids" Page
Kansas
Department of Agriculture
Kansas
Farm Bureau's Top 10 Ag Ed Book List (.pdf)
National Farm-City
Council
Using Media
Baskets to Spread the Farm-City Week Message
(.pdf)
U.S. Dept. of Agriculture
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