New York Agriculture in the Classroom | August 2022

Applications now open for

Grow-NY Youth Competition

In partnership with Grow-NY, Cornell University, NYS 4-H, and New York Agriculture in the Classroom, we are pleased to share an exciting updated youth opportunity to build businesses in New York State.

Our youth are the next generation of business developers, agriculture, food, and technology leaders. With the hope of inspiring and investing in the future of food, outstanding middle and high school youth will be selected to attend the 2022 Grow-NY competition and pitch their business idea to a panel of youth judges.

The Grow-NY competition will take place November 15-16, 2022 in Syracuse, NY. Applications are due October 21, 2022 by 5:00pm EST.

Learn More and Apply

Upcoming Events and Important Dates

AUG 25

Agriculture Career Day at the NYS Fair

OCT 7

NAITC Conference Workshop Proposals Due

OCT 21

Grow-NY Pitch Proposals Due

DEC 16

Purple Plow

Entries Due

Agriculture Career Day at the NYS Fair

Are you or your students interested in learning more about the wide range and variety of careers available in agriculture? The New York State Fair will be your one-stop shop for learning all about the many places agriculture can take you on Thursday, August 25.

This event is sponsored by the Department of Labor and New York Agriculture in the Classroom, with help from FFA chapters from across the state. Join us for a scavenger hunt and other fun activities throughout the day! Registration will be on-site at Gate 1 of the New York State Fairgrounds.

New York State Fair August 25, 2022

10am-2pm

National Agriculture in the Classroom Seeking Workshop Proposals for 2023 National Conference in Florida

The National Agriculture in the Classroom Organization is now accepting workshop proposals for the 2023 National Conference "Beyond The Beaches" set for Orlando, Florida, June 26-29.

This premier professional development event for Pre-K through 12th-grade teachers, volunteers, and professionals in agricultural literacy will provide tools, techniques, and inspiration to include food and agriculture as a lens for learning. We encourage you to submit a proposal if you have lessons and resources to share!

Proposals must demonstrate how the workshop uses agricultural concepts to meet the National Agricultural Literacy Outcomes (NALOs) and teach reading, writing, math, nutrition, science, STEM, social studies and other subject areas. Proposals must reach elementary, middle school, high school, or all grade levels.

The selected workshop's primary presenter will receive $50 off their conference registration. Applicants will be notified in December of workshop selections.

Learn More and Submit a Proposal

Purple Plow Challenge- Save the Soil

The American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture's newest Purple Plow Challenge - Save the Soil launches on Monday, August 15!

Students can help conserve natural resources locally and protect local ecosystems by addressing current and historical problems associated with the erosion of topsoil that limits the ability to grow food. After thoughtful research to evaluate how these challenges exist globally and locally, students will design, test, and demonstrate a solution that reduces topsoil erosion for their unique location or situation to help conserve productive soil. The final product will be a model which demonstrates a measurable reduction in soil erosion.

Learn More and Submit an Entry

Challenge entries must be submitted by December 16th, 2022.

Featured Lessons

Grades K-2 and 3-5

Made to Move

In this lesson, students explore simple and complex machines and discover how they are used in agriculture.

Teach this K-2 Lesson

Teach this 3-5 Lesson

Grades 6-8

Journey 2050 Lesson 1: Introduction to Sustainable Agriculture

Students will explore the core question, “How will we sustainably feed nearly 10 billion people by the year 2050?” as they discover what sustainable agriculture is and how it is critical to securing a stable food supply and future for a growing population.

Teach this Lesson

Grades 9-12

The Green Revolution

Students will Evaluate the agricultural advances of the Green Revolution, discover the contributions of Norman Borlaug, and discuss the impacts of this era from an economic, social, political, and environmental perspective.

Teach this Lesson

August Book Nook

Pancakes to Parathas: Breakfast Around the World

Breakfast varies from country to country, but it's how all children begin their day. Explore the meals of twelve countries in this playful approach to the world! From Australia to India to the USA, come travel around the world at dawn. Children everywhere are waking up to breakfast. In Japan, students eat soured soybeans called natto. In Brazil, even kids drink coffee—with lots of milk! With rhythm and rhymes and bold, graphic art, Pancakes to Parathas invites young readers to explore the world through the most important meal of the day.

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Buzzing With Questions: The Inquisitive Mind of Charles Henry Turner

Can spiders learn? How do ants find their way home? Can bugs see color? All of these questions buzzed endlessly in Charles Henry Turner's mind. He was fascinated by plants and animals and bugs. And even when he faced racial prejudice, Turner did not stop wondering. He constantly read, researched, and experimented.

Read this Book

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