Apply for Utah AITC
Summer Agriculture Institute
July 29-31, 2019
Applications for Summer Agriculture Institute are due April 15th . Join us for an exciting three-day, traveling agricultural institute. SAI is designed to help
K-12 teachers infuse their existing curriculum with the depth and real-world relevance that agriculture can bring to classroom learning experiences. Packed with food, tours, and inservice training, this special institute will provide professional development, foster agricultural literacy, and equip teachers with research-based lessons and activities. Join us as we tour various locations from Salt Lake City to Logan. Find the tentative agenda here .
Fertile Eggs Available at
Thanksgiving Point
Purchase 18-day incubated eggs and watch them hatch! Eggs are $3.00 each and orders must be placed at least three weeks in advance. Please ensure you have a working incubator that maintains proper heat for at least one week prior to receiving eggs.
Join us for the National
Agriculture in the Classroom Conference in
Little Rock, Arkansas!
June 19-21, 2019
NAITCO and the Arkansas Farm Bureau’s Agriculture in the Classroom program will hold three days of workshops showing kindergarten through 12th grade teachers how to use agriculture to teach core subjects. Conference participants will go on traveling workshops of nearby agribusinesses and research facilities to learn about beef, poultry and rice production, worldwide hunger at Heifer International, and other agricultural issues at these and other stops. They also will hear from keynote speakers such as Temple Grandin, world renowned animal behaviorist and autism spokesperson, and Dr. Marty Matlock, executive director of the University of Arkansas Resiliency Center and Professor of Ecological Engineering in the Biological and Agricultural Engineering Department.
A Harvest of Activities:
An Update on Utah AITC
Utah AITC stayed busy this winter with various professional development workshops for teachers all over Utah.

We met at the beautiful Swaner Preserve and EcoCenter in Park City and spent a day engaged in lessons and activities related to the state of our planet, U.S. agricultural production regions, global food security, and global trade. Copper Moose Farms, a local farm and CSA, hosted an educational tour that described their implementation of organic and biodynamic farming practices.

This year, our Hatching Science Grant was offered to teachers in Salt Lake and San Juan counties. Over 50 teachers attended these one-day workshops where they received instruction for hatching chicks, free classroom resources, and a brooding kit worth $250.

Next, we presented science-based professional development workshops for K-5 teachers in the Jordan School District. Teachers participated in hands-on activities, received free classroom kits and resources, and learned how to contextualize agriculture into their current science curriculum.

Utah AITC could also be found presenting at the Utah Science Teachers Association (UtSTA) Conference in Provo, as well as the Utah Association of Career and Technical Education (UACTE) Mid-Winter Conference.
Utah AITC presents workshops specifically designed to meet your needs. Our FREE workshops supply you with authentic, experiential, and accessible resources for your classroom. Contact us to plan an inservice workshop for your school or district.
New Lessons on the Matrix
Pigs on the Farm

Like humans and other animals, pigs have four basic needs—air, water, food, and shelter. Pigs also need social interaction with other pigs, treatment for injuries and diseases, and space to stand, stretch, and lie down. Pigs raised on farms live in environments that are designed to help farmers meet these needs. Barns protect pigs from weather, disease, and predators. Farmers provide pigs with fresh air, clean water, nutritious food, and shelter.

In this K-2 lesson, students will explore the basic needs of animals and create a model of a modern pig barn that will help farmers meet the needs of pigs.
Utah in a Box: Counties and Commodities

Did you know? There are approximately 18,100 farms in the Beehive State. Utah is home to 11 million acres of farmland suited for growing various commodities. Alfalfa hay, beef cattle, dairy cows, sheep, barley, and various fruits are among the top commodities produced in Utah. 

In this 3rd-5th grade lesson, students will explore Utah counties where major agricultural products are grown and raised, describe the development of industry and business in Utah as it relates to its physical geography, and identify examples of producers and consumers in the local community. 

Contact Utah AITC for a Social Studies Professional Development workshop which includes supplies for this lesson and other free curriculum resources.
Beef: Making the Grade

Beef can be found on dinner tables and in restaurants worldwide. As consumers select beef entrées from a menu, or purchase steaks at the grocery store, they may see a wide variety of product labels and beef terminology that raise questions.  What does USDA Prime mean? Why is this steak more expensive than the others? Do I want grass-finished beef or grain-finished beef?

In this secondary lesson, s tudents will evaluate the USDA grading system for whole cuts of beef and discuss consumer preferences and nutritional differences between grain-finished and grass-finished beef. Students will also distinguish various labels on beef products and discuss reasons for the government’s involvement in agricultural production, processing, and distribution of food.
New Companion Resources
Looking for topics to engage students in critical thinking and argumentation? This site deals in “ food matters”  highlighting the relationship between producers and consumers using credible resources on the topics of global food production, sustainable agriculture, and nutrition.
What's that you say? You're hungry? Right this very minute? Then you need a farmer. You have the stories of so many right here on your table! Award winners Lisl H. Detlefsen and Renee Kurilla create a delicious celebration of food and farming sure to inspire readers of all ages to learn more about where their food comes from—right this very minute!

Cultivating Knowledge · Connecting Us All