 Our Minnesota Agriculture in the Classroom (MAITC) team is celebrating the 2026-27 school year by featuring an awesome teacher who uses agriculture as a content for teaching and learning each month. Our September featured teacher is Mr. Joe Kamstra!
Mr. Kamstra, a 6th and 7th grade science teacher, uses agriculture to encourage students to find wonder in the world around them and to help them foster a desire to care for the environment.
Mr. Kamstra's lesson suggestions include:
To learn more about Mr. Kamstra, visit our Teacher Feature Webpage.
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Did you know that there’s a free, custom magazine for grades K-6 available to all teachers and students? Each AgMag issue aligns with Minnesota academic standards and there are also free lesson plans for each edition to seamlessly integrate into your curricula! AgMags provide a unique piece for students to engage with beyond their typical textbooks and materials. The print magazine and digital content feature real-life Minnesota farmers and businesses, highlighting people and organizations that kids can feel a connection to.
AgMag GIVEAWAY
Hey Teachers - we need your help! MAITC wants to make sure every K-6 teacher in Minnesota has heard of the AgMag series. We want you to share with your networks about the AgMag, so we are hosting a giveaway for a chance to win $100!
Here are the details:
A random drawing will be held on September 24, 2026 to select three winners. These winners will be announced on the MAITC Facebook and Instagram pages.
*MAITC will never ask you to click a link for a giveaway or fill out a form with your credit card information.
**Winners must be Minnesota teachers.
**Giveaway is hosted by the Minnesota Agriculture in the Classroom Foundation.
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We were extremely excited to partner with Wisconsin Ag in the Classroom to host the first-ever Growing Minds Conference in St. Paul, July 27-28, 2026. The agriculture tours, breakout sessions, keynote speaker, and networking provided ample opportunities for over 85 educators from across Minnesota and Wisconsin to immerse themselves in agriculture and grow agricultural literacy!
Read the Growing Minds Conference Recap Blog Post and help us celebrate the people and partnerships who made this conference a success!
 Educators at the Opening Session of the Growing Minds Conference.
MAITC has worked with MANY amazing teachers across our state! We would like to recognize one of these awesome educators with the MAITC Outstanding Teacher Award. This award is presented annually to an educator currently engaged in classroom instruction at the K-12 grade level and recognizes the teacher for their creative efforts to teach students about the importance of agriculture. The winning Minnesota teacher will receive $500 and have up to $1,500 of related expenses paid to attend the National Agriculture in the Classroom Conference, June 28-July 1, 2027, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
 The MAITC Foundation is excited to provide cash awards to K-12 educators through the Agricultural Literacy Grant Program. The goal of the program is to give students opportunities to experience agriculture through cross-curricular learning. Grants can support projects that integrate agriculture and food systems into the classroom, take students on field trips to agricultural sites, or otherwise bring agricultural education to life.
Funding is available for new ideas as well as enhancements to existing events and activities. FFA chapters and 4-H programs are also eligible to apply for grants that promote agricultural literacy among students in their communities.
 Farm Based Education Network Learning Journeys convene those working in food and farm education for a series of farm tours. Tour leaders go beyond “what” each site offers to focus on their strengths, struggles, and unique attributes. Participants may come to one or all parts of the journey!
When: September 17, 2026, 8:30 am - 4:30 pm
Where: Dodge Nature Center and Urban Roots
September Trivia Question: What is Minnesota's official state grain?
Send your answer to sue.knott@state.mn.us. The first two people to respond with the correct answers will win a MAITC reusable shopping bag.
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