Happy Agricultural Literacy Week!

From NY Ag in the Classroom -- Happy Agricultural Literacy Week 2018! 

Today kicks off the first of five days celebrating agriculture and the people who work in the food system. How will you celebrate?

Ag Literacy Week is March 19-23

This year's Ag Literacy Week book

Ag Literacy Week is March 19-23.

Second-graders throughout New York will read about what it takes to get food grown on the farm to the plates on their tables by reading a book called "Before We Eat -- From Farm to Table."

According to the Agriculture in the Classroom website, the book takes student on "the journey from farm to table to understand different aspects of agriculture and the many possible careers involved. This is a captivating glimpse on what it takes to bring the food we eat to us in order to nourish our bodies and spirits."

"From the busy hub of New York City, to the mountains of the Adirondacks, and to the fertility of the Finger Lakes our state is expansive and encompasses all types of agricultural industries," the website states. "Careers and post-secondary education opportunities are abundant in traditional and developing food-centric industries."

Agriculture in New York state brings in more than $37 billion to the economy. New York is known throughout the country as a leader in apples, maple syrup, yogurt, cottage cheese, grapes, onions and many other products.

"These products and industries create careers essential to the food system that are not always initially thought of: arborists, soil engineers, animal geneticists, butchers, aquaculturists, truck drivers, grocers and more," the Ag in the Classroom website states.

Lisa Gaskalla Named National Agriculture in the Classroom Executive Director

Lisa Gaskalla

Lisa Gaskalla, executive director of Florida Agriculture in the Classroom for 13 years, has been named executive director of the National Agriculture in the Classroom Organization (NAITCO).

Gaskalla served as interim executive director of NAITCO while the organization conducted a national search to fill the position in 2016. Before that, she served as president of the organization in 2014-15, and hosted a National Agriculture in the Classroom National Conference in Florida in 2011.

“National Agriculture in the Classroom has grown to a point where it needed a full-time executive director to oversee the business of our growing organization,” said Chris Fleming, president of NAITCO and the Tennessee Agriculture in the Classroom state contact. “Lisa Gaskalla’s experience managing a successful program in Florida will serve NAITCO well.”

“I’m excited to serve such a talented group of agricultural literacy educators from around the country,” Gaskalla said. “I will strive to make NAITCO a premier K-12 agricultural literacy program for formal and informal educators interested in educating youth about the importance of agriculture at the state and national level.”

NAITCO helps K-12 teachers use agricultural concepts to teach reading, writing, math, science, social studies and more by providing web-based lessons and companion resources, a national conference, a national teacher awards program and professional development opportunities for Agriculture in the Classroom state contacts. 

It is a nonprofit organization with a network of state contacts in nearly all 50 states and six territories. Information on New York's Ag in the Classroom program can be found at http://www.agclassroom.org/ny/

Apples Are the Focus of Ag Literacy Week

From Empire Farm & Dairy magazine:

Beautiful New York Empire apples

By DEBRA J. GROOM
Empire Farm & Dairy
 
Apples are going to be the focus for this year’s Ag Literacy Week.
 
Volunteers across New York state will go into elementary schools March 14 through 18 to read the book “The Apple Orchard Riddle” to second-graders as part of Ag Literacy Week.
 

This event is held each year around the time of National Agriculture Day (March 15) to help bring agriculture into the classroom. A book about a different farm product or aspect of farming is chosen each year to be read in second-grade classrooms throughout the state. The elementary schools are given copies of the book and teachers and the readers discuss the book with the students.
 
There are also related activities that tie in to make this experience fun and engaging.
 
“The Apple Orchard Riddle,” written by Margaret McNamara and illustrated by G. Brian Karas, takes children on the journey of Mr. Tiffin’s class taking a field trip to the apple orchard were they will learn every aspect of the farm, including how apples are harvested, the process of making cider and the many different varieties of apples.
 
While the class picks their apples and checks out the farm, Mr. Tiffin gives them all a riddle to ponder.
 
The book was chosen because of the importance of apples in New York’s economy. New York ranks second in the United States in apple production and the state has more apple varieties than any other state. 

The apple industry also provides more than 17,000 direct and indirect jobs in the state and there are more than 680 producers growing apples on more than 55,000 acres. New York apples go not only for fresh eating and cider, but also for sauce, apple pie filling and even for alcoholic spirits and hard cider.
 
Anyone interested in reading in a classroom for Ag Literacy Week should go to http://www.agclassroom.org/ny/programs/pdf/login/coordinator_list.pdf  to see the Ag Literacy Day contact for their particular county.  

Volunteers who go into the classrooms to read the book usually are somehow connected with agriculture — such as dairy princesses, master gardeners, farmers, Cooperative Extension agents, etc. But anyone can volunteer to read.
 
Now in its 11th year, Ag Literacy Week is sponsored by the New York Ag in the Classroom program. Some of the other topics children learned about in previous years were beekeeping, poultry, maple, weaving fibers, cheese, tree farming, seeds and gardening.
 
For more information, go to www.agclassroom.org/ny/programs/literacy.htm.

What Part of Agriculture is Being Featured for Ag Literacy Week in 2015?

The book to be featured in next year's Ag Literacy Week has been chosen.

Go to http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs177/1105132857985/archive/1118469119777.html to find out what it is.

It's Ag Literacy Week

Holy, moly.

I almost forgot.

Here's a reminder about Ag Literacy Week, which began yesterday and runs through Friday.

The book this year is "Who Grew My Soup?" by Tom Darbyshire and illustrated by C.F. Payne. In the book, Phineas Quinn wants to know about the vegetable soup his mom gives him for lunch -- in fact, he wants to know who grew each and every vegetable in his bowl. A man shows up to answer his questions and he learns about vegetables, farming and the farmers who grow the vegetables.

New York Agriculture in the Classroom sponsors NY Ag Literacy Week in March each year to support its mission of fostering awareness, understanding, and appreciation of agriculture and the food and fiber system. Volunteers throughout the state go into second-grade classrooms to read the featured book to children. The book then is donated to the school library.

Ag Literacy Week Coming Next Month

Agriculture Literacy Week is coming.

Check out this http://www.localsyr.com/bridge-street/video/d/video/agriculture-literacy-bridge-street-21414/4937018 report from Bridge Street with FFA students from Tully and Erin Luchsinger Hull of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Onondaga County.

By the way, Ag Literacy Week is March 17-21. And this year's book is Who Grew My Soup,? a story about a boy who won't eat his vegetable soup until he knows who grew each of the ingredients.