Minnesota Agriculture in the Classroom News 
June 2015

 

Students at Farm Day
Students at MAITC Teacher Champion School, St. Michael Catholic School in Prior Lake, pose for a "selfie" with Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted FFA members and their pigs.
2015 National Agriculture in the Classroom Conference!

The Minnesota Agriculture in the Classroom Program (MAITC) is excited to be involved in the National Agriculture in the Classroom Conference June 16-20 in Louisville, Kentucky!  We will be hosting two workshops featuring our Biofuels DVD and Food for Thought Geography curricular piece. Several Minnesotans will be featured as award winners:

Juanita Reed-Boniface - National Ag Advocate Winner

Lori Hodge - Minnesota Teacher of the Year

Mark Wackefuss and Michaela Bengtson - CHS Scholarship Winners

Watch for live action photos from this exciting event on our MAITC Facebook Page!   
In This Issue
Teacher Feature 
Mark WackerfussMark Wackerfuss
6th-10th grade teacher
Crosswinds Arts and Science School 
Woodbury, MN
  

Mr. Wackerfuss is a recipient of a CHS Scholarship to attend the 2015 National Agriculture in the Classroom Conference.   

Describe any agriculture based projects you have been involved with.
We have a school forest here at Crosswinds and with the great assistance of the Minnesota Department of Agriculture representatives and the private support of CHS ( A fortune 500 Agriculture Corporation based in Inver Grove Heights, MN), we have been able to plan multiple events, units, and lessons for the students through interdisciplinary instruction. For example: We have started multiple learning platforms with the 37 acres we have at the school with planting a variety of produce.We have also done dissections of

euthanized fetal pigs to understand the physiology of livestock and the problems that can occur when an animal becomes unhealthy and how that relates to the food supply and the general dynamics of economic activity as a whole.

 
Summer Teacher Tour 
The Many Faces of Minnesota Agriculture

There are a few spots left on our 2015 Summer Teacher Tour!  This tour allows educators to get a first-hand look into the world of agriculture. Tour stops include Urban Organics Aquaponics, Second Harvest Heartland, the Hmong American Farmers Association Farm, and Far-Gaze Farms, a multi-generational crop and livestock farm.  Register today!
Hmong American Farmers Association Farm
The Hmong American Farmers Association (HAFA) Farm near Hastings is a stop on the 2015 MAITC Summer Teacher Tour
Fantastic Resources
June is National Dairy Month, Turkey Lovers Month, and Fresh Fruit and Vegetables Month! 
 Midwest Dairy Association logo
Educational Resources from Midwest Dairy Association
Midwest Dairy has developed a collection of informative classroom materials to educate students about dairy farmers, the dairy industry and important nutrition and economic information about milk, cheese and yogurt.
http://www.midwestdairy.com/0p207/educators/ Poultry commodity card
 
MAITC Commodity Cards
Turkeys are one of eighteen crop plants and livestock animals featured
in our Minnesota Commodity Cards.  Available FREE on the MAITC website
Learn more about Minnesota's growers of fresh fruits and vegetables as well as farmers markets, CSA farms, garden centers, wineries, pick-your-own farms, livestock producers, meat processors, Christmas tree growers, and producers of honey, wild rice, maple syrup, and cheese on the Minnesota Grown website
http://minnesotagrown.com/
Agricultural Trivia
  
Congratulations to Sara Marquette for being the first person to respond with the correct answer to our May trivia question.  Sara knew that P.J. Aarsvold of the Plainview-Elgin-Millville FFA Chapter was elected the 2015-16 Minnesota FFA Association President.  Rounding out the top seven responders were Caryn Coller, Katrina Bender, Sara Britton, Julie Kovacik, Kristin Gustafson, and Jim Resch.
 
June Trivia
The first person to email the correct answer for the question below will win a copy of the children's book The Cow in Patrick O'Shanahan's Kitchen.
The Dan and Seena Glessing Family and Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted FFA members were part of Farm Day at St. Michael Catholic School in Prior Lake. What breed of dairy cattle did they bring along (pictured below)? 
Email your answer to  Sue Knott to be eligible for the prize! Seena Glessing with calves