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September 2025 | Issue #168
*make sure to click "View entire message" to get access to the full newsletter!*
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Classroom Integrated Pest Management
MAITC has roughly 5 spots left for the '25-'26 school season, with school visits being completed at the end of September thru the middle of October. Email maitc@maine.gov to reserve your spot, ASAP.
MAITC Teacher of the Year
Applications for the 2026 Teacher of the Year are due by 4pm on Thursday, September 11. See attached nomination form and email maitc@maine.gov with any questions.
MAITC Grant Deadline
All MAITC grants have a deadline of 4pm on Friday, September 12. Submit your application(s) here. Email marcia.maitc@gmail.com with questions.
Adopt a Cow Deadline
Enroll for the 2025-26 school year by September 15. Visit www.discoverdairy.com/adopt to learn more about the free program.
| | YoYA Meetup at Common Ground Fair | | |
As part of the 2025 Year of Youth in Agriculture commitment, there will be a youth meetup at the Common Ground Fair!
Youth ages 12-19 are invited to convene, connect, and collaborate on Friday, September 19 from 10-11am in the Windsor tent.
Join a facilitated conversation about opportunities and challenges in Maine agriculture, and what youth can do about it! Featuring special guests:
Amanda Beal
Commissioner of the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry
Sarah Alexander
Executive Director of the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association.
If you have questions about the meetup, please contact Timothy Boston at tboston@mofga.org or 978-255-3180.
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The University of Maine Cooperative Extension is offering two flexible, 18-week online horticulture training programs this year, each approved for 7 CEUs by the UMaine Division of Lifelong Learning. All courses include self-paced modules and live virtual Q&A sessions with horticulture experts.
Maine Horticulture Apprentice Training: Ideal for those who want to explore a new career, improve their skills, or start their own business in horticulture. Includes a 200 hour hands-on industry apprenticeship in addition to the online training. Enrollment opens: September 22, 2025 at noon, space is limited.
Maine Gardener Training: For home gardeners who want to expand their skills with no volunteer or apprenticeship requirement. Enrollment opens: September 29, 2025 at noon, space is limited.
Learn more about course fees, schedules, and details on the program website.
For questions or to request a reasonable accommodation, contact 207-581-3188 or extension.gardening@maine.edu.
| | From Box to Classroom: Ag Kits That Do the Work for You! | | |
Are you looking for interactive, hands-on, educational activities that bring agriculture to life in your classroom? The National Agriculture in the Classroom Organization has resource kits designed to put learning directly into students’ hands. Each kit comes with ready-to-use materials and activities that make planning a classroom project simple and stress-free.
Resource kits are available for a wide range of grade levels and topics, making it easy to connect agriculture with almost any subject.
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Some favorites include:
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The Living Necklace – students create wearable “necklaces” to observe seed germination and plant growth.
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Beeswax Lip Balm – students make their own product while learning about bees- it’s a great marketing activity!
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BioTech Cheese – explore the science and technology behind one of the world’s favorite foods.
| | There are hundreds of resources available in the National Ag in the Classroom Store, but if you’re looking for classroom kits, simply type “kit” in the search bar to discover all the fantastic options ready to use in your classroom! | | | |
Grades 3-5
Aquaculture Adventures
Students investigate a variety of aquaculture food products, discover how and where they are grown and raised, and explore their nutritional benefits.
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Upper Elementary
Foundations of Oyster Farming:
An Immersive Game
This free, online game introduces students to fundamentals of oyster husbandry, farm management, and principles of environmental stewardship as they work to build and sustain their own virtual oyster farm.
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Virtual Field Trip
Visit Pemetic Sea Farms, an oyster farm in Surrey, Maine, to learn about how oysters are grown and harvested! Hosted by Maine Aquaculture Innovation Center's Executive Director Anne Langston Noll.
| | Looking for more? Explore the Agricultural Literacy Curriculum Matrix HERE | | Nanami has two grandmothers: Bāchan, who lives with Nanami’s family in Japan, and Gram, who lives in Maine. When Gram visits Japan, Bāchan takes her and Nanami on a trip to the seaside to gather wakame, a long, curvy seaweed that grows near the shore. While the three assemble their equipment and walk to the beach, Bāchan explains how wakame and other seaweeds are used in Japan. Gram shares stories about how seaweeds are used in Maine, and Nanami translates for them both. | |  | |
Did you know that feeding seaweed to cows can reduce the methane in their burps by more than half? Or that a forest of kelp absorbs more carbon than a tropical rainforest of the same size?
Beyond the tideline, there are around 10,000 types of seaweed. An essential ingredient for life on Earth, seaweed has sustained animals and people for many thousands of years. From ancient history and mythology to modern uses in food, health and medicine, discover how seriously cool seaweed is, and how it can even help tackle climate change.
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Funding from this plate impacts up to 200,000 students annually with lessons, materials, volunteers and teacher training. Additionally, up to $60K is distributed annually in grants to schools, FFA, 4-H and other Non-profit programs for Ag education initiatives by the Maine Agriculture in the Classroom Council.
Learn more about the Ag plate here.
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The MAITC Association is organizing a fundraiser for materials and teacher scholarships this year. Hats and T-shirts with the MAITC logo and a picture of the agriculture specialty license plate are available to order for a small donation.
For more information contact Nancy Wright at dnwright191@gmail.com
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Our Mission Statement
"To promote the understanding of agriculture and natural resources among students, educators, and the general public"
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28 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333
(207)287-5522
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