By Julie Tomascik
Editor
The new school year brings opportunities to grow an understanding of agriculture in Texas classrooms through several Texas Farm Bureau (TFB) programs.
“The Agriculture in the Classroom programs are designed to meet Texas teaching standards and connect agriculture to what students are already learning in the classroom,” said Jordan Bartels, TFB associate director of Organization Division, Educational Outreach. “We want to bring the world of agriculture to young minds and help students of all grades learn more about where their food, fiber and fuel come from.”
Among the resources available to teachers are the Farm From School program, Learning from the Ground Up Garden Grant program, lesson plans and short videos with guided activities.
Farm From School
Students can virtually visit farms and ranches from their classrooms through TFB’s Farm From School program.
This is the fourth semester for the free program, which aims to show students in kindergarten through fifth grade the diversity of Texas agriculture. It is open to public, private and homeschool educators.
Classrooms will connect virtually with farmers and ranchers once a month from September through December. Student questions can be submitted via the Q&A function on the virtual platform during the visits.
Throughout the semester, students will participate in lessons incorporating agriculture and learn more about agricultural concepts introduced through the virtual field trips.
TFB will also provide TEKS-aligned lessons, activity books and other companion resource materials for the virtual farm visits.
Registration for the fall semester closes Aug. 29.
Garden grants
Students can dig into agriculture through TFB’s Learning From the Ground Up Garden Grant program.
The grant was created to support schools as they teach students about the sources of their food, fiber and fuel.
Qualifying projects must provide students with hands-on, experiential learning about agriculture through the funding of a new garden project or improvements to an existing garden or greenhouse.
Aquaponic and hydroponic systems are eligible if they are used to teach students about food production.
Grants may be requested from TFB for up to $500, and Bartels noted some county Farm Bureaus offer matching funds.
To be eligible, the applicant must be a teacher or administrator of any Texas PK-12 school. Parent Teacher Associations or other organizations may apply when the project directly engages students.
Agricultural concepts must be used in instruction. Preference will be given to projects that directly engage students in a hands-on agricultural experience. The project must be science-based in nature to receive consideration.
All applications must include a timeline of the project, a list of community partners and a detailed budget with estimated expenses.
TFB will only accept one grant application per school per grant cycle. For example, an elementary school and a middle school from the same district can each apply, but two applications from the same elementary school cannot be submitted.
Applications must be submitted online by Oct. 14.
Lesson plans
Agriculture can come to life in classrooms across the state, thanks to TFB’s interactive lesson plans and virtual resources.
The curriculum available online explores concepts like sustainability, technology and science. The lessons also aim to stimulate thoughtful conversations about innovations on farms and ranches, supply and demand and challenges that face agriculture.
Short videos and guided activities bring the farm to the classroom and grow a deeper understanding of agriculture.
Also available to teachers is the Agriculture in the Classroom Curriculum Matrix, which gives teachers access to over 500 lessons that incorporate agricultural concepts across all subjects and grade levels. Many of those lessons meet the TEKS standards set by the state.
Additional resources
TFB has resources and materials available for free download, as well as some items available for purchase. Items include classroom sets, bookmarks and coloring books.
Teachers also can download free commodity-specific posters and ag connection publications.
More than 70 videos are available for classroom use, including harvest footage, crop-specific videos and “Meet a Farmer” videos.
Links to the National Agriculture in the Classroom Organization, American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture, grant information and other programs also can be found on TFB’s Ag in the Classroom webpage.
Outstanding Ag in the Classroom Teacher application
Each year, TFB awards one teacher the Agriculture in the Classroom Outstanding Teacher Award.
This award is presented to the teacher for their innovative, multi-disciplined and continued efforts to teach students about the importance of agriculture.
A county Farm Bureau must nominate the teacher.
Certified teachers who actively teach about agriculture in PK-12 grade classrooms are eligible for the award. They can teach any subject or content area, with the exception of vocational agriculture.
Previous winners of the award are not eligible. Teachers who have been previously nominated but weren’t selected may be nominated by a county Farm Bureau again.
Interested teachers who qualify can contact their county Farm Bureau office to learn more about being nominated.
Nominations are due Oct. 7.
More information
Information on the Ag in the Classroom programs, lessons and materials, as well as the Outstanding Ag in the Classroom Teacher application, can be found online at texasfarmbureau.org/aitc.
For questions, or more information, contact Bartels at 254-751-2569 or edoutreach@txfb.org.