Christmas is right around the corner???

Christmas is Right Around the Corner….If you are like me, you might be looking for some last minute stocking stuffers?  Actually, in my book it is only 12/20--I still have 3 more days to think about what I'm going to buy before I head out on 12/24!!  If you are in a hurry check out these agriculture related books!

One of my all time favorites is “Oh Say Can You Seed?” by Bonnie Worth---this is a Cat in the Hat Learning Library Book---it is a great picture of what goes on as a seed germinates and becomes a plant!!  Perfect for all ages!

“Farmer George Plants aNation”---by  Peggy Thomas  a great look at what Washington did before, during and after being a war hero and president!   I’ll give you a hint--Mount Vernon is still an active farm!

“Corn”,” Pork” and “Soybeans”by Susan Anderson and JoAnne Buggey---Susan Anderson has worked with the Minnesota AITC Program for several years, and Joanne Buggey is the Elementary Education instructor working with future teachers  and AITC.  Put them together and they have the perfect recipe for designing books related to agriculture.

“The Beef Princess of Practical County” by Michelle Houts---one of my favorite books--strong female youth main character deeply involved in agriculture---just a great book from a farm wife!

“Little Joe” by Sandra Neil Wallace, another look at raising an animal for the show ring and sale.

“The Heart of a Shepherd” by Rosanne Perry.  An excellent book, that is perfect for upper elementary readers to adults.  You can almost see the movie of this book!

“Who Grew My Soup” by Tom Darbyshire  the best way to link this up is to pair it with the Illinois Farm Families website (www.watchusgrow.org).  In this book young Phin Quinn demands to know ‘WHO GREW MY SOUP” , and he gets to meet the farmer who do!

Going along that same theme is “How Did That Get In My Lunchbox?” by Chris Butterworth.  This book traces your lunch from the table to the farm.

“The Scrambled States of America” by Laurie Heller takes a look at each state, why they are so different, and also examines why it is good to be just plain old you!

“Apples to Oregon” by Deborah Hopkinson--a historical fiction account of Henderson Luelling and his actual trip with his family from Iowa to Oregon on the Oregon Trail.  Told in a way, you won’t forget!

“The Tree Farmer” by Chuck Leavell--Rock and Roller by night, tree farmer and author by day, Chuck Leavell (keyboardist for the Rolling Stones) writes about sustainable forests that he farms!

“The Super Soybean” by Raymond Bial--an Illinois Author, Ray uses photos he takes from throughout Illinois to bring difficult subjects to life. Check out any of his including “A Handful of Dirt” and “Cornbelt Harvest” too!

Speaking of those that you can’t go wrong with ---look for anything by Author Cris Peterson. This farm wife was raised in Minnesota and moved to her current home on a dairy farm with her dairy farming husband in Wisconsin.   Check out “Seed, Soil and Sun”, “Clarabelle”  and “Amazing Grazing”

“The Hungry Planet” By Peter Menzel is a great book that takes  look at what a weeks worth of groceries around the world looks like.  We are all connected by food, and you’ll be happy to know how much Illinois Farmers help feed the world!

“Pig 05049 “by Christien Meindertsma  has recently become my new favorite  The author follow a pig, #05049 and follows the pig and all the co-products and provides a photo of what that pork produces.   From Ham and Sausage to buttons, paintbrushes and marshmallows! 

You can't go wrong with an ag related book!   I just found that Gail Gibbons is also selling her wonderful books (like Pumpkins, Apples, and Corn) as e-readers--so there is something ag related at every level!

 Happy Shopping!!  Happy New Year!!

Being Thankful..........

 As I pause and reflect this week before Thanksgiving----I'm pretty thankful---how about you?
I have had many opportunities to work with students that are studying to be teachers at universities across the state.  Some of their classmates are exercising their 1st Amendment rights across campus, but they were in class---learning how to become better teachers.  For that --I am thankful---the future, no matter your politics, has many people looking to do the right thing--even if they didn't understand or appreciate all the agricultural literacy concepts I shared with them, they were respectful and asked many interesting questions.

Next I'm thankful for the opportunities I've had to interact with farmers from across the state of Illinois.  I'm thankful that you let us tell part of your story.  You have an audience that wants to know more-I thank you for your willingness to open up and share with our program, that we can turn around an help tell your story--in ways that teachers can integrate into their existing curriculum.

I'm also thankful for the opportunities to learn more about Agriculture across the US.  Recently, I got to spend time in Oregon with the Oregon AITC Program.  Leaving the land of Corn and Beans, I arrived in the land of Hops and Hazelnuts--and, seriously-- in the Grass Seed Capital of the World, Linn County Oregon.   What I found was farmers who took pride in what they were growing, wanting to help others with a product and to explain what really goes on --on their farms!  I was shocked to learn the impact the economy has had on grass seed.  But think about it---not as many new homes, not as much need for grass seed.  Wow!  The economy really did have an impact.  It was the same across the board.  From specialty wines and hazelnuts to hop production to salmon and beef and dairy and wool.   I met many great people--and am thankful for the opportunity!

Hopefully, you too will take a minute to pause and reflect.    Where did your bountiful meal come from, besides the grocery store?  The fine folks at Western Illinois University have developed a map detailing who grew your dinner.  It is certainly worth a look to see where your food came from. 

I guess this video---detailing how from 1960 the average farmer fed 26 people.....and now it is 155 people.....sums it up for me.  As I enjoy my Thanksgiving dinner---I'll be thankful....will you?

Flu Shots…..and Agriculture?

I got my flu shot the other day.  It was relatively painless, and after filling out the form and getting the shot I got a Snoopy Band-Aid, and a Tootsie Roll.   That process is happening across the US, and especially in Illinois  (well,  maybe not the Snoopy Band-Aid) as we approach the dreaded flu season.

But as I was signing the form, the person behind me in line said---I’ll be you can’t link your flu shot back to agriculture.    Wrong---I bet I can……

You see the vaccine for the flu virus itself is incubated on the inside of a chicken egg.   Yes that is right---a chicken egg.   For the last 50 years or so---flu vaccines have been cultured inside a fertilized egg.   Although there are researchers looking to find ways to utilize other methods, right now, the egg is still the most widely used incubator for our vaccine strains.  That means plenty of planning ahead for the vaccine period where you need plenty (say 100 million--give or take a couple dozen!) eggs!  How do you build up this supply?  Where do those eggs come from?  It is all one of the mysteries that most folks don t think about-we just get our flu shot!

But say you were to get sick?  How about Penicillin and all the other medicines we take?   We’ll right here in Illinois --Peoria to be exact at the USDA Agricultural Research Service National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research-Doctor Andrew Moyer and others helped utilize a development of the deep vat fermentation method to bring the production of penicillin to consumer uses.  In fact, from 1940--the price of penicillin dropped from “Priceless” to just 55 cents per dose in 1946!    All of that and more is detailed in the USDA Publication “Science in Your Shopping Cart”.  You’d be amazed at how you use agriculture and ag research in your daily life!

Of course there is corn starch in the bandages--Snoopy ones included, and the Tootsie Rolls I got after my shot---well those too are an Illinois Product made in Chicago, with Corn Syrup and Soybean Oil.  Yes, believe it or not--Illinois Agriculture is all around you...even with your flu shot!

Celebrate National Chemistry Week with Agriculture

I grew up in a small town in east-central Illinois.  Actually Hindsboro was bigger 20+ years ago, but I went to school in Oakland---another small town.  When I went to the University of Illinois, had to explain to some of my fellow freshmen--that I could really get into the big U with a graduating class of 32!    We even had chemistry!   Who knew that one day--with a  History and English Teaching Degree--one day--I'd be talking about Chemistry in Agriculture?  Well--Mr. Sullivan (my HS Chemistry Teacher!) this one is for you!!

October 16-22 marks National Chemistry Week!  Yes--you will find chemistry in Agriculture!   Not just the Arsenic (yes it IS an element! Symbol As; Atomic Weight 33) that Dr. Oz was talking about a couple of weeks ago!   The Illinois Fertilizer and Chemical Association has some excellent resources related to our three main Chemicals related to agriculture N, P and K 

As harvest continues across the state, you'll soon notice many farmers incorporating nitrogen into their field in the form of anhydrous ammonia (NH3) and ammonium sulfate ([NH4]2SO4).  Farmers take special precautions when using these materials that are used as an aid to replenish nitrogen used in the growing process.    The concept of adding fertilizer is old, real old!   Since 1849 mixed fertilizer has been sold commercially, and even long before that, the legend says that Squanto (or Tisquantum) taught the Pilgrims to fertilize their corn with fish.  The practice of replenishing the nutrients of the soil is something consumers do as well as they begin to prepare their lawns for the winter.

The Virginia Ag in the Classroom program has developed some outstanding middle school and high school chemistry applications using the periodic table.  My favorite is a lesson on what percentages of each element N, P and K are in various size bags of fertilizer.  For example a 10 pound bag of  10-10-10 fertilizer contains 10% of each N, P, and K.   30% of the bag (3 pounds) is actually the nutrient, the remaining 70% (7 pounds) are filler, which allows those using the fertilizer to spread it over a large area without the threat of over-fertilizing. 

Our own Illinois Soil Ag Mag features a great look at N, P and K and how Illinois farmers work to protect our most precious asset, our great soil!

So as we celebrate National Chemistry Week this week--what about watching a farmer, and thanking him for taking care of the land and the water we all share--and learn a little chemistry along the way!

Isn't everyday National Denim Day?

According to Mike Rowe today is National Denim Day .  We celebrated Jeans Day at Work here at the Illinois Farm Bureau last week as a show of support for McLean County United Way.  But wouldn't it be a perfect day to wear Jeans to work?  Or maybe even Jeans Shorts?   IAITC is 'unpacking' from extended trips to Southern Illinois University and Eastern Illinois University  where we conducted Pre-Service Teacher Training activities.  Additional, we launched our First "FACEBOOK LIKE" Challenge we called Wacky Wednesday----to see which University would give us more 'Facebook likes'-----the Winner was EIU.  Granted--I didn't do the presentations at EIU--but my MS is from EIU!  We're packing again for a busy week at Aurora University on Monday, and Presentations at the Central Illinois Adult Education Service Center Conference on Wednesday, and heading to Olivette Nazarene University later in the week! 

One thing to be assured of ----we'll see plenty of denim.  Students wear denim, and Mike Rowe has people thinking about it--for a cause.  But what about where the denim comes from?  Sure the store.  As with food coming from the store---what about where fiber comes from?   We do a great activity with cotton from the USDA AITC Growing A Nation interactive CD rom--called King Cotton, where we have student hand gin cotton.   Even though we don't grow cotton in Illinois, this lends itself to math, language, science and social studies as you would be shocked the number of people that have never seen cotton. 

So as you celebrate Jeans Day --everyday?--consider the source of the fiber---maybe by watching the an episode of America's Heartland based on cotton.   Click here to take you to their cotton page.

Practicing Label Reading

The last 2 weeks have seen the IAITC Program across the state at various teacher and pre-service training sessions.  Last week--I was at Waubonsee Community College, St Francis University (with the ULTRA Cool reserved parking space!), Judson University, Cook County Farm Bureau, and now at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, while AITC also had presentations at Eastern Illinois.  We put a lot of miles on the Farm Bureau mini-vans!  Ooh and by the way--did you notice we have a new agintheclassroom.org website?

As we continue to provide information about our program, and agriculture in general, it is always interesting to me to watch the reactions of students (of all ages) realize something that is right before them that they've never realized.  Lately, it seems our Dairy Ag Mag is making people stop and consider. 

Our activity called "Think Your Drink" has caused students to examine their drinks---and what they are drinking.   We also typically include an activity on Nutrition we call "Digesting the World's Diet" linking the book the Hungry Planet by Peter Menzel.  When we ask students to find fascinating facts---specifically about Chad---I'm amazed they always say that the refuge family has no dairy.   Shows me how they take dairy for granted!   Lately, I've  been incorporating local milk that I purchase from the local Subway Sandwich Shop.   See Subway offers milk sold by Shamrock Farms.  No big deal.  Until you look at the expiration date---instead of an expiration date, there is a 'best by date'.    Shamrock sells milk that has been UHT pasteurized.   Shelf stable milk (needs no refrigeration until it has been opened) has been around for a while, and in many countries in Europe, you'll find it as the standard.  In Japan and Haiti, after the earthquakes, shelf stable milk provided dairy without refrigeration.  

In the US you can find UHT Milk at Subway and Panera Bread.   Even though many student have seen the milk there--they didn't realize it was different.  Some scoff at the technology.   My typical response is to ask the students to consider how quickly cell phone technology has changed, and how they just accept that change.  Why wouldn't our food supply change with technology and time?

Hopefully it leaves them with something to consider! 

This week concludes with a final day at SIU.  Keep an eye on our Facebook site, as we are having a 'like' contest.....between SIU and EIU on what we called "Wacky Wednesday"!   Keep an eye out for all those hardworking Illinois Farm Families working on the harvest!

What really matters?

9-21 means a lot of things to a lot of people.......This Day in History discusses Collin Powell becoming the Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in 1989, and even George Clooney debuting on the TV Show "The Facts of Life" in 1985.   It is also the birthday of Stephen King and HG Wells.  But yesterday, on 9-21, I spent the early evening with a group of teachers at the Chicago Teacher Center, and nobody really cared that Facebook had changed it's format.  Instead, we were concentration on an upper level activity for Ag in the Classroom featuring "The Hungry Planet" .

In our discussions, we use the book as a starting point to discuss what connects the 6.96 or so billion people who live on the earth....our food.  And how farmers in the United States are providing healthy food for their families, and families around the world.  We started with an explanation of corn and soybean exports as featured in our Ag Mags, as well as how the US uses products made from corn and soybeans.  Then we talked about how much land is actually used for growing food around the world. 

It is called a Slice of Soil, and it shows by slicing up an apple that only 1/32 of the earth's surface is used to produce our food.  3/4 of the earth ocean, 1/8 is deserts, swamps, Antarctic, mountain regions, and the last 1/8 is where man can live -but may or may not be able to grow food--that includes places that are too wet, too rocky, too dry or where soil is too poor to grow food.  Plus it includes areas that are developed by man.  That leaves 1/32 of the surface of the earth.   Next time you are in a store---check out an apple.  The little sticker on each apple is about the size of all the land we have to grow food on.   And that area doesn't get any bigger. 

The teachers in my session were stunned by this, and realized they didn't have a direct connection to where there food came from.  Shocked by this 4th grade lesson these adults all teachers from the City of Chicago spent the next 2 hours discussing where their food came from, what Americans have access to, as well as what people from other nations have for food access.  This lead to discussions on food deserts, nutrition, packaging, marketing, markets and even weather.  One of our 'Chicago Area Supporters' (meaning she has used AITC for several years!) said she heard the price of beef would go up next year as a result of the drought in Texas, and we discussed the weather as an impact on agricultural availabilities. 

It was a very interesting session, and I am confident the teachers will be ordering Ag Mags soon!  The ironic part was, we decided that even if Facebook went away, roughly only 4% of the population would be impacted.  But if we lose our access to soil, all 7 billion people will be impacted!

Talk like a farmer day??

Today, September 19,  is "International Talk Like a Pirate Day'.    Seriously!  Today you can share your 'AArrrr' and 'Ahoy Matey' with your friends and family without feeling awkward..  

As Illinois Harvest 2011 gears up, I thought maybe we should have 'Talk Like a Farmer Day".  My father-in-law and brother-in-law farm.   I work for the Farm Bureau, and I live in a small town and attend church with several farmers.  Trust me there is a different language when it comes to farming. 

Remember, these are the people working to grow healthy food for you and your family.  The corn and beans they raise, along with the animals they care for become our food, fiber fuel and so much more.  What does it mean to talk like a farmer?  Well maybe you should take a look at what farmers are talking about.

With harvest approaching--trust me there is discussion of yield.  Yield is how many bushels per acre they have harvested from certain fields.  Farmers work to have high yields, but with the weather complications earlier this year, they are finding yields uncertain.   Moisture content is something else they are mentioning.  Farmers harvest crops when they have 'dried' down.  They look to harvest corn and market it when it is below 18% (or lower) moisture.  The lower the moisture, the lower the spoilage rate.  If crops are harvested with too much moisture they must 'dry' the crop, typically with grain dryers that involved forced air and heat.  As you can imagine, this step adds cost to the crop, that is taken from the income the farmer earns from that field or crop. 

There is plenty of talk about weather too.   Back in July when some of the state couldn't buy a rain shower, it is raining now. And  some parts of the state  had too much rain.   Then of course you look at Texas that hasn't had rain in months.  There is something about farmers and the weather. Farmers were working to 'put up hay' before the rain over the weekend.  You can be sure farmers talk about the weather a lot!

There is also plenty to talk about with Trade.  What would a Free Trade Agreement with Panama, South Korea and Columbia look like and how will it impact markets? Then there are the markets if they are up or down.   There may also be talk of new trucking regulations, labor regulations, and even new plants used in biomass fuel production.   Plus, don't forget the weather, and the markets!

In the farmer talks I hear, there is usually a discussion of football at the high school, college or professional level.  And family--who is doing what, when.  If there has been an issue in a family or a farm family that needs help harvesting, you can be assured you will find neighbors and farmers willing to help.

Visit farmweeknow.com to read the latest on what farmers are talking about!

So-maybe some day next week--instead of talking like a Pirate, you can learn to talk like a farmer.  Remember,  a farmer somewhere is helping put food on your table!

I'll just have a candy bar.....

Couldn't go anywhere today without hearing about apples.   You know it is fall--apples are coming on strong, and now Dr. Oz says apple juice contains arsenic.   Yikes!  Arsenic!  That is the stuff that the old ladies used to kill people in the classic play 'Arsenic and Old Lace' by Joseph Kesselring.  You mean there is arsenic in our apple juice? 

Where do we find arsenic? If you listened to the news we find arsenic in our apple juice.

But wait a minute---if my memory from High School Chemistry (Thanks Mr. Sullivan) serves correctly...... Arsenic is an ELEMENT.  (Symbol As, Atomic Number 33)   That is right--it occurs in nature it can be both ORGANIC and INORGANIC.   We are exposed to arsenic all around us.

Later today the FDA said that their tests showed no evidence of public health risks from drinking apple juice......but who do we believe?   Dr. Oz---a noted heart surgeon at Columbia University and TV Talk Show Host---formerly on Oprah......or the US Government..... I mean really---who do we believe?

An activity we use at Ag in the Classroom involves color changing pencils---like mood rings of years past.  We ask teachers to tell us why the pencil changes color---they typically guess heat.  But is it heat, or pressure, or moisture, or even a chemical reaction because of lotion or antibacterial soap.......really it could be any of those options--but our point is---don't just 'guess' or 'believe' what you hear---instead investigate and dig a little deeper.  Maybe questions what you hear and where it comes from.  I mean did anyone wonder why Dr. Oz announced this on the first week of the new season? Dr. Phil is interviewing the Anthony Family, Dr. Oz has us worried about apple juice...is it me, or is this the kick off to the new season?

I'm not saying arsenic can't be dangerous, but I am saying I wonder what is really the meaning behind this recent update.  Hopefully this will cause people to stop and wonder what is really going on. 

I don't know about you---but I'm not taking any chances---I'll just have a candy bar!

The 30 Second Seminar

That Ag Guy--so what do you exactly do?   Agriculture in the Classroom(AITC) is often called a part of the Agriculture Literacy movement.   I spent 10 years teaching Junior High English and Social Studies.   I worked for a publishing company for 2 years before coming to AITC a little over 11 years ago.  When I first took the job at AITC I explained to someone, who knew my background, that I would be working in Agricultural Literacy----they paused and thought reflectively upon my background---and said---"So you are going to teach farmers how to read?"   I guess they took the words too literally. 

What does it mean to be AGRICULTURALLY LITERATE?   Seriously, have you ever thought about it?  

I firmly believe that you can hold the attention of about anyone for 30 seconds----People may ask you a question and patiently and politely wait for an answer for about 30 seconds.  In a job where people don't understand what you are doing--I've found those 30 seconds count!!

What do I do?   Simply put--I help students and teachers make a connection to their food, fiber and fuel systems and see the connection to agriculture.    Our society is so far removed from the origin of their food--that many people believe that food comes from the store.  FFA Students often wear a t-shirt that says 'Naked and Hungry' on the front---and on the back "Where you would be without Agriculture".    It is a simple, startling statement that can make people pause and think about how agriculture impacts them.

Bringing that connection home is what we work on in the AITC Program.   We have the added benefit of working with teachers.  If we can show teachers the basics of how they consume agricultural products, they can pass that on to student.  The students can pass that on to parents.   Perhaps we'll build a ground swell of support where more students know, understand and appreciate where there food comes from.......perhaps. 

Think about your 30 seconds how wisely will you use them to explain the importance of what you do?

Welcome to IAITC's adventure in blogging!

A couple of years ago, at a Pre-Service Workshop (that is a University presentation for students majoring in education) someone said---"Hey Wait---You are that Illinois Ag Guy".    I really didn't know how to take it. 

My wife's family---and my own---would certainly laugh being called 'That Ag Guy'---but truth be told---for a number of teachers and students, Agriculture in the Classroom is as close as they get to agriculture in a given day. 

My name is Kevin Daugherty, and I serve as the Education Director of the Illinois Agriculture in the Classroom Program.  The views expressed here are my views, but I hope to share with you a glimpse of what we see in Agricultural Literacy across the state! 

What does Ag in the Classroom (AITC) do?  We work to develop resources that can be easily implemented into Pre-K through 12 classrooms that serve as a springboard to integrate agriculture  into Language, Math, Social Studies, and Science.  Our main office in Bloomington, Illinois works with individual counties across the state to provide resources, teacher training and county support.  Through our network of Agriculture Literacy Coordinators across the state and the various educational supports of Illinois Commodity Groups and Agribusiness, we form our own 'Powerhouse' of Agricultural Literacy!  Additionally, we work with other state Agriculture in the Classroom programs. 

And so we begin! My goal in this blog will be to share what we're doing, feature various teachers, University Pre-Service instructors, and those involved in agriculture.

A little about myself.......I'm a 1988 Graduate of the University of Illinois College of Education, I have my MS from Eastern Illinois University, and have been with Illinois Agriculture in the Classroom (a department of the Illinois Farm Bureau) since 2000.   I'm married with 3 children, am active in our local church, as well as various civic endeavors including serving as the President of the local School Board. 

Our first adventure this week will feature comments about an upcoming program we call AITC 101 for newcomers to the Illinois AITC Program as well as a meeting about a new publication relating careers and biotechnology to agriculture.