A multifaceted program brings the world of agriculture to young minds. It helps students of all grades to see the world where their food is grown. And how farmers and ranchers touch their lives. Daily.
Farm From School
Farm From School with Texas Farm Bureau in Spring 2025! This program offers a virtual opportunity for K-5 classrooms to engage with a farmer or rancher to learn about how agriculture connects to grade-level concepts.
This program is open to Texas public, private, and homeschool educators.
Classes will meet with a different farmer or rancher during February-May. Topics and dates for the Spring 2025 semester will be announced later this winter. Program details are available in this guidelines document.
Click here to register. Registration closes Jan. 10.
In an effort to keep the program as streamlined as possible and so we know where our link(s) are going, please have all participating teachers sign up individually.
Email Educational Outreach with questions or call 254.751.2258.
Curriculum Matrix
The Agriculture in the Classroom Curriculum Matrix gives teachers access to over 450 lessons that incorporate agricultural concepts across all subjects and grade levels. Matrix lessons are aligned to national standards, and over 130 of the current lessons are aligned to TEKS, and 300 lessons will be aligned by the end of 2024.
Click here to access the curriculum matrix today.
Free Digital Resources
Download free resources you can use in your classroom or at home to bring agriculture to life. Learning is fun with these resources!
Free Resources for Ag Education Courses
Help high school students dive into production agriculture with assistance from Texas farmers and ranchers. These videos and lesson plans will bring the farm to the classroom and grow a deeper understanding of Texas agriculture.
Free downloadable activities, videos and lesson plans are available for use in the classroom.
Lesson Plans
A roadmap of Texas agriculture. That details the crops. The livestock. And the people who grow them. That’s what you find in Texas Farm Bureau’s lesson plans for Ag in the Classroom.
Click here to get your copy of curriculum today.
Contact Educational Outreach at 254.751.2258 with questions regarding the lesson plans.
Free Virtual Resources
Connect with agriculture. Meet farmers and ranchers. And learn all about Texas agriculture!
TFB has free resources and activities available for both parents and teachers to incorporate agricultural information into educational lessons. Use the virtual resources linked below at home or in the classroom.
Ag on the Go
Ag on the Go brings agriculture to you—in the classroom, at community events, or after school programs.
The interactive lessons are TEKS-aligned and help K-12 students connect agriculture to the world around them.
Ag on the Go offers lessons and activities on:
- Careers
- Cotton
- Corn
- Forestry
- Livestock
- Sustainability
Interested in the Ag on the Go trailers coming to your school or community activity? Sign up here!
For teachers who have a scheduled visit to cover the cotton or forestry topics, below are the pre-visit videos to share with your class/group.
Cotton
Forestry
For more information, contact aotg@txfb.org or call 254-751-2273.
Summer Ag Institute
Get your hands dirty and gain real-life experiences and ideas about agriculture that can enrich classroom grades K-12—all through the Summer Ag Institute, a four-day professional development seminar.
You’ll receive CPE hours and bring home exciting resources about agriculture for your students and colleagues, as well as a better understanding of where your food and fiber come from and the people who grow it.
Sponsorships are available through the local county Farm Bureau office. Teachers will be notified of sponsorship status after registration.
There will be two Summer Ag Institutes this year, and each event is limited to 40 teachers. Teachers may only register for one event.
Waco SAI
June 10-13
Read more about the event.
Lubbock SAI
July 16-19
Registration is now closed.
View the program guidelines and details for the Lubbock SAI.
Contact Educational Outreach staff at edoutreach@txfb.org or 254.751.2258 with questions.
Homeschool Summer Ag Academy
TFB will host a Summer Ag Academy (SAA) for homeschool educators in Texas. This two-day academy will offer site visits, hands-on learning, and presentations by agricultural and educational experts.
The 2024 SAA will be held in Garland.
Details about the SAA can be found in this guidelines document.
Registration is now closed.
Contact Educational Outreach staff at edoutreach@txfb.org or 254.751.2258 with questions.
Learning from the Ground Up Garden Grant
Food production: here, there and everywhere! From the school garden to the farm, let Texas Farm Bureau help your students make the connection to agriculture through our Learning From the Ground Up Garden Grant program.
We encourage teachers to think outside the box and adapt programs to fit your current classroom environment, which could include container gardens and so much more. Food production and learning truly happens here, there and everywhere!
Applications are closed.
For agriculture science teachers applying for the grant, the project must incorporate elementary, junior high, or other non-ag high school students into the project in some capacity as to increase agricultural literacy outside of general agricultural courses. The applications submitted MUST clearly identify the plan to how the project will incorporate elementary, junior high, or other non-ag high school students.
For more information, email edoutreach@txfb.org or call 254.751.2569.
Homeschool Garden Grant
Texas Farm Bureau will again offer the Homeschool Garden Grant opportunity for homeschool educators. The TFB Homeschool Garden Grant helps students to make the connection to agriculture through learning what it takes to care for a garden project and relate the project to concepts learned within the curriculum.
Homeschool educators are encouraged to think outside the box and adapt programs to fit their current environment. We encourage you to think about how the garden can impact more than those who take care of it daily.
View the guidelines document for more information.
Applications are closed. Recipients will be announced later this year.
For questions, email edoutreach@txfb.org or call 254.751.2258.
Ag in the Classroom Outstanding Teacher Nomination
Texas Farm Bureau awards one teacher annually with 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. Interested teachers who qualify can contact Educational Outreach staff or their county Farm Bureau to learn more about being nominated.
Eligibility requirements include:
- Full-time, certified and active PK-12 teacher teaching in a public school or PK-12 teacher teaching in an accredited non-public elementary and secondary educational institution.
- Any content area is acceptable, with the exception of vocational agriculture
- Previous winners of the award are not eligible. Teachers who have previously applied but weren’t selected may apply again.
*High school and middle school agricultural science teachers are not eligible.
Applications are closed. The winner will be announced at the TFB Annual Meeting Dec. 6-8.
Ag Literacy Week Book Program
We’re inviting K-5 teachers across the state to join us in increasing agricultural literacy in the classroom March 18-22 by reading an educational, accurate ag book: How to Grow a Monster.
The program is free and open to Texas public, private, and homeschool educators. K-5 teachers who sign up will receive a free copy of the book and an educator’s guide.
Click for program dates and details.
Registration is closed for the 2024 program.
For more information, contact Ed Outreach at edoutreach@txfb.org or call 254-751-2569.
National Ag in the Classroom Conference Scholarship
Interested in attending the National Agriculture in the Classroom Conference to learn from innovative and engaging presenters about how to incorporate agriculture into your classroom?
TFB is awarding five scholarships to Texas teachers to attend the 2024 conference in Salt Lake City, Utah on June 24-27, 2024.
Get the scholarship guidelines and details.
Applications are now closed. Recipients will be announced this spring.
For more information, contact Ed Outreach at edoutreach@txfb.org or call 254-751-2569.
Early Ag Teacher Professional Development
Join Texas Farm Bureau for a two-day professional development opportunity that immerses teachers in hands-on classroom/laboratory instruction focused on areas addressed in an agricultural science classroom (i.e., instruction, SAEs, and FFA).
The workshop incorporates presentations by agricultural experts who specialize in education. It also includes site visits to area AgriLife Extension facilities, farms, and agricultural businesses for a truly hands-on experience. You’re sure to walk away with new information and ideas on how to enhance the learning experience in your classroom!
Eligible teachers include those who have been teaching agricultural science for five years or less.
View the program guidelines and details.
Registration is closed.
Grants
Several grants are available for teachers to help increase agricultural literacy and awareness in schools and communities.
NAITCO (CHS Foundation Grants and Scholarships)
Learn more
AFBF Foundation for Agriculture White-Reinhardt Grant
Learn more
AFBF Foundation for Agriculture White-Reinhardt Scholarship
Learn more
AFBF Foundation for Agriculture Christina Sue Lilja Resource Grants
Learn more
Additional Resources
Order TFB Classroom Resources: TFB has resources and materials available for purchase. Items include classroom sets, hardback books, bookmarks, coloring books and more.
National Agriculture in the Classroom Organization: A network of resources for educators seeking to improve agricultural literacy and engage students in kindergarten through seniors in high school.
Agriculture in the Classroom Vimeo Video Channel: More than 70 videos are available for classroom use, including harvest footage, crop-specific videos and “Meet a Farmer” videos.
Grow with Google: Over the course of the 8-month program, fellows are developing place-based curriculum that incorporates agriculture, technology and key digital skills into a Applied Digital Skills lessons.
National Ranching Heritage Center Hank the Cowdog Ranch Life Series: Visit the link to learn more about the books and the accompanying lessons and activities that are available.
American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture True Beef: Pasture To Plate Educator Guide: The documentary True Beef follows high school students from Central Texas as they travel across the state to learn about every step in the beef process from pasture to plate. Complete lesson plans are included and TEKS aligned. True Beef is available from AFBFA on DVD or online at https://vimeo.com/ondemand/truebeef.
Journey 2050: takes students on a virtual farm simulation that explores world food sustainability. Using an inquiry-based approach, the program encourages students to make decisions and adjust them as they see their impact on society, the environment and the economy at a local and global scale. Complete teacher guide with lesson plans included—completely free.