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2017 Teacher Tours

The Minnesota Agriculture in the Classroom Program (MAITC) offered three unique summer tours that allowed over 80 educators to get a first-hand look into the world of agriculture.  We sincerely thank the teachers for dedicating time to learn about agriculture and how it can be integrated into their curricula.  We also want to extend a big thank you to the tour hosts and speakers.

Tour #1: Northern MN July 7th

• LaPorte School Garden, LaPorte
• Little Timber Farms, Blackduck
• Mistic Berry Farms, Puposky     
• Farm Dinner hosted by Common Ground        

Tour #2: Specialty Crop Tour July 17th-18th

• Untiedt's Vegetable Farm, Montrose
• Minneapolis Public Schools Nutrition Services
• Len Busch Roses, Plymouth
• Big River Farms, Marine on St. Croix
• Wingard Farms, Elk River
• The Food Group, New Hope  

Tour #3 Many Faces of Agriculture Tour July 24th-25th

• New Sweden Dairy, Nicolett
• Children's Museum of Southern MN, Mankato
• Farmamerica, Waseca
• Arnold's Equipment, Mankato
• All American Foods, Mankato
• Southern MN Research and Outreach Center, Waseca
• MN Pork Producers
• Chankaska Creek Ranch and Winery, Kasota

Check out this great article from the Mankato Free Press about the Many Faces of Agriculture tour.                                                     

New MAITC Board Members Announced at MAITC Foundation Annual Meeting

New MN Ag in the Classroom Foundation Board Members:

• Mary Kay Delvo, INspiringSIGHT
• Mark Wackerfuss, Crosswinds Arts and Science School
• Katie Davis, Minnesota Beef Council
• Jenna Davis, Midwest Dairy Association
• Lori Cox, Roots Return Heritage Farm LLC

MAITC at the MN State Fair

If you would like to join us as a volunteer to lead ag literacy activities and talk to any teachers who may stop by, please take a moment and fill out this form by August 3rd . MAITC will provide you with one ticket into the fair. We need two-four volunteers for each day (particularly on the Saturdays!)  and will email you by the end of next week with more details. Sign up here by Friday, August 7th.

1. Thursday, August 24th 1-3pm (Activity: Livestock Animal Ear Tags)
2. Saturday, August 26th 1-3pm (Activity: Living Necklaces)
3. Monday, August  28th 1-3pm (Activity: Pollinator Feeder)
4. Thursday, August 31st 1-3pm (Activity: Livestock Animal Ear Tags)
5. Saturday, September 2nd 1-3pm (Activity: Living Necklaces)

HS Science and Social Studies Teachers

Metro Area HS Science and Social Studies Teachers join U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance and Minnesota Soybean on 8/29 to tour a farm and receive an iPod Touch & VR headset for your classroom to incorporate agricultural videos into your curriculum! http://www.fooddialogues.com/teacher-awareness-program-minnesota/

NAITC CHS Classroom Grants

Fifteen K-12 teachers will be awarded a $500 classroom grant! These grants fund projects that will teach students about the importance of agriculture and help integrate agricultural concepts into core subject areas. Apply today!

In-Service Workshops

MAITC leads educator workshops for K-12 teachers, pre-service teachers, agriculture producers, and volunteers at colleges and conferences around the state every year. Customized workshops provide opportunities to gain resources and ideas for embedding authentic agricultural examples within science, social studies, math, language arts and health/nutrition curricula. Contact Sue Knott, Education Specialist to request a customized workshop for your group.

AgMag and AgMag Jr Subscription

If you would like the AgMag and/or AgMag Jr. magazine series to arrive in your mailbox this school year, please subscribe today!   The AgMag is designed for 4th-6th grade students with agricultural content tied to social studies, science, math and language arts academic standards. The AgMag Jr. is targeted to 1st grade students and connects to academic standards in social studies, science, math and language arts.   AgMag and AgMag Jr. are a FREE resources.  Also explore the interactive website http://mnagmag.org/