A great place to learn about agriculture

Welcome to "Learn Agriculture," a great place to learn about agriculture! Over the years, Minnesota's agricultural community has created a gold mine of educational materials and opportunities for K-12 audiences -- things like classroom activity kits, teacher reference guides, and educational programs. Minnesota is also home to agricultural museums, interpretive centers and other interactive experiences that tell the story of agriculture. "Learn Agriculture" brings these resources together in one spot for your convenience. Feel free to take a nice, long look around. And if you need help, by all means, contact one of us! Don't hesitate don't learn more about other thngs with our partners le-scrapbooking.org.

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Holy cow ! Free stuff ! Everybody likes to get something for nothing! Check out this growing list of free stuff that will help increase your agriculture IQ. Do you have resource to add to our directory? If so, please do so here.

Fun classroom activities

Looking for a classroom project with a focus on agriculture? You've come to the right place. Take a look at our extensive list of Fun Classroom AG-tivities and you're sure to find a few new things to try. Do you have resource to add to our directory? If so, please do so here.

4-H Virtual Farm

Come take a virtual farm tour. This site will introduce you to some of the people who make their living off the land. You'll see where they live and work. You'll learn how your favorite foods get from the farm to your plate or lunch box.

Ag-Mag

A magazine that integrates agriculture into the classroom. Appropriate for students grade 4-6. Includes a teacher guide.

Agriculture in the Classroom

The National Agriculture in the Classroom Website - Features a Kids Corner with information on animals, food and science, virtual farm field trips, ag questions, and ag fun with trivia and games. There is also something for teachers; lesson plans, grants, different links, and a place to talk with other teachers

Agripedia

Agripedia has been created to allow students to use resources across the country in an integrated, interactive learning resource on the Internet. As an "encyclopedia of agriculture", Agripedia presents facts, figures, demonstrations, examples, graphics, and more regarding the concepts, practices, and vocabulary of agriculture in a multimedia format using audio clips, graphics, text and animation.

Ag-tivity Books

These books include a handy collection of ready-to-use activity sheets that integrate agriculture into basic school subject areas. The activities are ideal for use in classrooms, community organizations, or anywhere young people could benefit from learning more about agriculture.

Classroom Visits

Members of the Minnesota Agri-Women visit classrooms when requested, during National Farm-City Week, during National Agriculture Week, etc. For more information, e-mail Barb Overlie of the Minnesota Agri-Women.

Enviromental and Protection Agency

Provides financial resources,curriculum and activities on environmental topics. There is also an Explorers' Club for kids and a student center for students in middle and high school.

Envirothon

The Envirothon is a local, state and national environmental education program for high school students. For more information, contact the Minnesota Board of Water & Soil Resources.

From Milk to Glue

Milk is used to make nonfood products as well as the more familiar products of ice cream, cheese and yogurt. This class project uses milk to make glue! For more information, e-mail the Minnesota Farm Bureau.

Millennium Green

Everyone can get involved in stewardship action for the new millennium by planting trees. Learn how to get involved at this website.

Minneapolis Grain Exchange Video

This video is a 12-minute virtual tour of the MGE trading floor. In addition to showing viewers the impressive, historic trading facilities, it gives an overview of the use of futures and options as risk management tools. The MGE trades futures and options on hard red spring, durum, and white wheats; cotton seed; black tiger and white shrimp; and Twin Cities on-peak and off-peak electricity. The MGE also hosts the world's largest cash grain market. To request the video, send email to info@mgex.com.

Minnesota Ag Pen Pal Program

Farm families tell about their experiences in agriculture, while teachers and students share their lifestyles. Each learns from the other. For more information, e-mail the Minnesota Farm Bureau. (Appropriate for grades 2-4).

Minnesota Zoo

Offers entertaining and educational opportunities to get a closer look at nature and the zoo. There is also an outreach program called the Minnesota Zoomobile, which provides a variety of educational and entertaining environmental programs.

NASS Kids

This site has games, ag links, a glossary and much more to help kids learn about agriculture and math. It also contains Ag for Teachers.

Papermaking Kit and Wood Kit

The papermaking kit makes paper samples for about 30 students. The wood kit has classroom activities and wood samples from Minnesota trees

Pen Pal Program

Farm families exchange letters with students at various classroom levels. Farm families tell about their experiences in agriculture while teachers and students share their lifestyles. The Ag Pen Pal Program is a correspondence program of the Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation and the Minnesota Pork Producers Association. The program is in cooperation with Minnesota Ag in the Classroom.

Pork 4 Kids

Has a source for kids, teachers, and parents. There is a place to win prizes, learn new recipies, and learn about pigs. For teachers it has Pork 4 Kids Classroom, and for parents, activities to do with your children.

School Ambassadors

The Minnesota Hobby Beekeepers Association's (MHBA) School Ambassadors program is an effort to educate the public about honey bees, beekeeping and pollination of food plants for all animals. The MHBA has many members who are willing to come to schools and other organizations to present their message about honey bees. For more information, send e-mail to the Minnesota Hobby Beekeepers Association.

School Kit for Sugarbeet Presentation

A barn- shaped box is filled with a script; photos of sugarbeets, planting, cultivation, harvest, factory scenes, etc; sugarbeet seed, by products of molasses and beet pulp pellets, sugar, and ONE TOOTH dental brochure. For more information send e-mail to the Minn-Dak Farmers Cooperative

Seeds for Learning Kit

Kits contain 10 different seeds of major Minnesota crops. Seeds are viable. Information on each crop's history, uses and cultivation is included. For more information, contact the Gopher Crops and Soils Club.

Slice

A classroom kit for K-6. Contains activity masters and poster project materials. Focuses on sectors of the economy which make the food & fiber chain work. For more information, e-mail the Minnesota Farm Bureau.

Squeeze Freeze Ice Cream

M-m-m-m . . . who can resist homemade ice cream? This simple class project would be an excellent exercise to use when teaching about the dairy industry or dairy in our diets. For more information, e-mail the Minnesota Farm Bureau.

Tech Watch Video Tape

A science and career video, "Tech Watch", introduces junior and high school students to biotechnology, career opportunities, and several applications of science to agriculture.

The Processed Apples Institute

This site includes an arcade, an online coloring book, recipies for children and adults as well as puzzles and contests. It also has a list of companies that make apple juice and other apple products.

Time Travels Video Tape

Developed to support social studies curriculum in middle school and junior high, "Time Travels," looks at the historical and sociological implications of agriculture during the last century.

Turkey Time Kit

This award-winning educational kit builds student (K-5) awareness for history, Thanksgiving, source of food, agriculture, food safety, nutrition, and the food pyramid. It includes a 4-color folder/poster, teacher's guide, reproducible 8-page newspaper, activity sheets, glossary, resources. Promotes parental interaction, multidisciplinary, ethnically sensitive. Cost: 1 kit - $4.75. More than 1 kit: $1.50/kit, a one time $2.00 handling fee plus shipping. All orders will be invoiced. For more information, e-mail the Minnesota Turkey Council.

Visit to a Green Planet

A full color comic book which introduces children to the world of American agriculture and how farmers and ranchers care for the land. For more information, e-mail the Minnesota Farm Bureau.

Ressources for teaching

Agricultural Safety & Health Information Clearinghouse

This web page provides information about farm safety and health activities in the U.S. In addition, they've compiled a series of links to other sites containing additional data such as material safety data sheets, farm labor regulations, and other pertinent agricultural occupational safety and health information.

Agriculture in the Classroom

The National Agriculture in the Classroom Website - Features a Kids Corner with information on animals, food and science, virtual farm field trips, ag questions, and ag fun with trivia and games. There is also something for teachers; lesson plans, grants, different links, and a place to talk with other teachers

Agripedia

Agripedia has been created to allow students to use resources across the country in an integrated, interactive learning resource on the Internet. As an "encyclopedia of agriculture", Agripedia presents facts, figures, demonstrations, examples, graphics, and more regarding the concepts, practices, and vocabulary of agriculture in a multimedia format using audio clips, graphics, text and animation.

Ag-tivity Books

These books include a handy collection of ready-to-use activity sheets that integrate agriculture into basic school subject areas. The activities are ideal for use in classrooms, community organizations, or anywhere young people could benefit from learning more about agriculture.

Backyard Conservation

Backyard Conservation shows you how conservation practices that are used on agricultural land across the country to conserve and improve natural resources can be adapted for use on the land around your home or school.

Backyard Magic - The Composting Handbook

Provides a detailed description about the benefits of composting and useful how to's in building a compost pile of your own. Suitable for classroom use.

Commodity Cards

These handy 8.5 x 14 inch "flashcards" offer information on 19 of Minnesota's top ranking plant and animal agricultural commodities.

Corn in the Classroom

Corn in the Classroom is a web-based curriculum that utilizes examples from the corn industry to teach kids mathematics, science, language arts, social studies, and even music and art. The curriculum is divided into nine different units and based on the real-life experiences of a Minnesota farm family.

ECONnections

ECONnections contains standards-based lesson plans adapted from NCEE printed materials for the Internet with interactive activities for students. Also provides a link to additional online lesson plans for grades 3-12

Enviromental and Protection Agency

Provides financial resources,curriculum and activities on environmental topics. There is also an Explorers' Club for kids and a student center for students in middle and high school.

Fight Bac

This site, created by the Partnership For Food Safety Education, contains a teacher game plan for food safety which includes experiments, games, activities, and a survey. It also has a presenter's guide for working with children ages K-3, which gives step-by-step instructions.

Five a Day For Better Health

Information about why we should eat more fruits and vegetables. Includes a section for educators, recipes, and programs. The Five-A-Day kids area includes a coloring book and other activities.

Food for Thought Mapping Curriculum

Includes a 4-color student deskmap and a teacher guide with five lessons and a 35 blackline maps for overlays. It's a great way to connect geography with agriculture.

Food Safety & Inspection Service

This site contains videos, news you can use, advice, FSIS Consumer Education campaigns, and resources for educators. And for kids, it has food guide pyramids, backyard conservation, agriculture for kids, history of agriculture, and much more.

Food, Fiber, Enviroment and Natural Resource Awareness Assessment

Assessment instruments for measuring general awareness and understanding of our food, fiber, environment and natural resources. Separate forms are available for grades 4, 8, and 12. For more information contact Vernon Cardwell at the University of Minnesota Agronomy Department.

Land Stewardship Congregational Tool Kit

This kit contains videos, resource materials and activities for small and large group gatherings with a focus on building healthy communities by linking people with their food, the land and each other. Also included are suggestions for involving individuals and congregations in supporting a local food system while helping those with special needs in their community.

Minnesota Pork Producers - Education

The "Kids Stuff and Education" link on this web site provides elementary- level resources to teachers and pork producers who want to introduce students to basic agricultural and swine production. Practical information on by-products, swine breeds, economics, nutrition, pork recipes for kids and order forms for free classroom materials.

Renewing the Countryside

Book and interactive website. Renewing the Countryside is a collection of success stories that highlight people making innovative, sustainable choices that are benefiting rural MN. The website includes information from the book plus over 150 additional MN stories, as well as links to some of the most usefull resources on the internet and contacts for related MN organizations. The website is a work in progress and additions are being made all the time!

Turkey Time Kit

This award-winning educational kit builds student (K-5) awareness for history, Thanksgiving, source of food, agriculture, food safety, nutrition, and the food pyramid. It includes a 4-color folder/poster, teacher's guide, reproducible 8-page newspaper, activity sheets, glossary, resources. Promotes parental interaction, multidisciplinary, ethnically sensitive. Cost: 1 kit - $4.75. More than 1 kit: $1.50/kit, a one time $2.00 handling fee plus shipping. All orders will be invoiced. For more information, e-mail the Minnesota Turkey Council.

Promotion & Education Order Form

A complete resource for promoting and expanding the understanding of agriculture in Minnesota. Contains books, videos, classroom resources, and more. For more information, contact the Minnesota Farm Bureau.

Pork 4 Kids

Has a source for kids, teachers, and parents. There is a place to win prizes, learn new recipies, and learn about pigs. For teachers it has Pork 4 Kids Classroom, and for parents, activities to do with your children.

Performance Packages (K-12) to meet MN graduation standars

Twelve perfomance packages are available to assist educators in integrating agriculture while meeting the graduation standards. Packages are available for all grade levels and support the student Profile of Learning.