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Fall/Winter 2003 Newsletter View the PDF version of the Food, Land & People Newsletter "A civilization declines when it loses touch with its agrarian roots." - Richard Critchfield Many thanks to FLP Supporters for assisting with this issue of the Food, Land & People newsletter. In this Issue:
FLP releases Second Edition of Resources for Learning By Chris Williams, FLP National Steering Committee Chairman
More than 2.6 million youth have experienced FLP lessons in the first 23 states to be official affiliates of FLP. The lessons are written for multiple subject areas, including math, reading, science, geography, language arts, social studies, etc. More than 20,000 teachers have participated in workshops where they became familiar with and learned how to integrate the FLP educational materials into their existing curriculum - so with each new school year this number will increase. These are impressive statistics! And, our growth continues! Today we have 27 state coalition affiliates, one local affiliate - the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago, and several more states are in the development phase. Facilitator training has been completed in all but three states - so teacher training workshops are underway. FLP's Resources for Learning is one of the most comprehensive projects that focuses on helping young people - and adults too - become knowledgeable about and understand the multitude of ways that agriculture impacts daily lives - linking agriculture, the environment, and people. Thanks to Sponsors: A host of individuals, groups, businesses and agencies have helped make the development and printing of the first 5,000 copies of the Second Edition of Resources for Learning a reality. Our sponsors are recognized in the introduction of the publication and during our training sessions. Over 4000 copies were in the hands of state coalitions and educators within a month of publication. A second printing awaits sponsorship. Maintaining a strong food system and natural resource base is essential to ensuring the economic and social stability of our nation, yet most children today have never visited a farm and their understanding of the interrelationship between agriculture and the environment is extremely limited. Food, Land & People is striving to meet that challenge through education. FLP lessons in Spanish Recursos para Aprender features 20 FLP Resources for Learning first edition lessons translated into Spanish. The lessons are ready-to-use with background information for educators and hands-on activities for students. They are also a great resource for bi-lingual educators, teachers with Spanish-speaking students, conservation education specialists, FFA instructors, 4-H leaders, scout councils/leaders, home school instructors, and nature center and camp directors. They are a ready reference for youth tours, Envirothon competitions, Arbor Day, Water Festivals, Ag Day, Earth Day and Soil Stewardship Week classroom presentations. See our order form to order Recursos para Aprender. FLP news around the country Arizona Arizona participated in the first annual "Arizona Studies Academy." This six-day program for fourth through eighth grade teachers showed them the variety of natural resource educational materials available. The 60 participants learned about Arizona by participating in two-hour sessions and half-day expeditionary learning trips. The six "strand" themes were: agriculture, forestry, energy/utilities, natural environment, mining and the built environment. Food, Land & People curriculum was used for the agriculture strand. The 2003/2004 school year will feature all-day workshops for each of the strands so that participants can expand their learning. Arkansas Arkansas was the 26th state to become a licensed FLP affiliate. FLP state co-coordinators and representatives of Arknsas State University (left to right) Dr. David Agnew, college of agriculture, and Dr. Mark McJunkin, department of teacher education, signed the FLP agreement earlier this year.
California California FLP and Aquatic Outreach Institute cosponsored a two day "Kids in Gardens" workshop September 20 and 27 for 36 educators from San Francisco public schools, private schools, school garden projects, and park and recreation departments. The first day of the workshop was held at the Crissy Field Center at the Presidio National Park. The session featured soils using FLP's "Perc Through the Pores" and Aquatic Outreach Institute materials. The second day session was held at a San Francisco School and the Tule Elk Children's Park and featured six lessons from FLP's Resources for Learning. Delaware Our biggest success this year has been with non-traditional audiences. After attending two FLP workshops the previous year, a home school association group of 47 signed up for monthly FLP workshops. The group of parents and kids ranging in age from 21/2- to 17-years-old came to the department of agriculture and to field trip sites and did monthly FLP trainings and activities. Because they were not bound by school hours, they were able to expand many of the activities with additional components and research activities. They have signed up to do another yearly series that will begin in October, and are adding more participants. Other nontraditional groups served are AmeriCorps volunteers, and parks and recreation camp and after school program providers throughout the state. The opportunity to expand FLP training to previously underserved groups has been well-received. In addition, the educational staff and volunteers at the Delaware Agriculture Museum and Village will be trained using FLP materials. These educators intend to expand their student outreach using FLP as the main curriculum. Maine A new affiliation was formed with the National Science Foundation (NSF) Fellows Program at the University of Maine at Orono, which expands the FLP program. In August the 2003-04 graduate students that had been accepted to this program and their cooperating teachers were trained in Project Food, Land, & People with a special focus on integrated pest management, fiber, microbiology, soils and nutrition. According to Willie Sawyer Grenier, FLP and Ag in the Classroom coordinator, these students or "fellows" receive a stipend from NSF to augment the science program in the public schools. Minnesota Minnesota held their first facilitator training workshop after they became the 25th state to form a state coalition. FLP facilitator Betty Wolanyk (standing left) explains a lesson to workshop participants from Southwest State University, Minnesota Foundation for Responsible Animal Care and Minnesota Farm Bureau. Minnesota Food, Land & People is now scheduling their first teacher training workshop and researching development of a Minnesota FLP web site.
North Dakota North Dakota Family and Consumer Science Teachers (FACS) attending their summer vocational conference participated in a special four hour introduction to FLP's Resources for Learning. Class members shared a special memory associated with bread and participated in the FLP lesson/activity "Breads Around the World." Next, FLP facilitator Jill Vigesaa had the teachers draw their favorite food on paper plates and participate in an activity from "Lunchtime Favorites." The participants also told how they could incorporate "Lunchtime Favorites" into their existing food guide pyramid lessons. Other FLP nutrition lessons highlighted included, "What's the Shape of Your Diet?" "Be Label Able" and "Why I Buy?" The lesson "Could It Be Something They Ate?" generated a discussion of food safety issues and was followed by the lesson "Germ Busters." One of the FACS teachers, Alice Westby of Velva, North Dakota, attended a full 15-hour, graduate level Food, Land & People class in 2002, and assisted in introducing her coworkers to the lesson "From Fiber to Fashion" before Vigesaa closed with "Global Grocery Bags."
Educators at a Minot, North Dakota FLP workshop learn about the pollination process while pretending to be honey bees and apple trees during the "Buzzy, Buzzy Bee" lesson.
North Dakota educators VaLois McConnell, Amy Riccio and Kathy Vigen highlight the FLP lesson "Fruits and Veggies" for their peers at a 15-hour credit workshop.
Minot, North Dakota educators learning FLP's "Loco for Cocoa" lesson actively played a traditional Mexican rhythm game called "Bate, Bate" (Ba-Tay, Ba-Tay). The game may have originated in the day's when people beat roasted chocolate beans to create their own chocolate.
Bismarck educators Brenda Zeisler, Connie Gaebe and Jackie Montgomery, along with Ag In The Classroom Coordinator LeAnn Harner enjoy participating in a FLP lesson presentation by North Dakota facilitators Jill Vigesaa and Ginger Dietz (not pictured). A message from Bernie Staller about Resources for Learning Bernie Staller, Chief Operating Officer, National FFA Organization
Agriculture is experiencing huge changes. Technology, consumer concerns, regulations, waning political support and even bioterrorism are besieging our industry. How will our future generations become aware of this huge industry and its crucial role in our society? As generations are further and further removed from the farm, where will young people discover agriculture? As food becomes an "item to purchase at the store" rather than something "grown by the hand of man" where will young people develop an interest in this field? The world is not getting any larger yet our population and their demands upon our natural resources continue to grow. Environmental issues and environmental literacy will also continue to be at the forefront of our educational needs for young people. Now, more than ever, ag and environmental literacy efforts and especially those of FLP, need the full support of our time, talent and financial resources. I commend all the folks at FLP for your continued drive toward agricultural and environmental literacy and for your efforts to assist educators in this important effort. Morgan Freeman's message to teachers and students:
I believe that Resources for Learning is an excellent vehicle to take your students into subjects that have gone unseen and unappreciated." -- Morgan Freeman Mr. Freeman enjoys his Mississippi farm, and believes all of us need to be more aware of the roles that farmers and ranchers play to provide us the quality of life we enjoy - it's our environment. His letter to FLP is included in the Resources for Learning, where he reminds us that whether it is the pizza we eat, the clothes we wear, or the comforts of home, almost all of the products come from agriculture and are derived from the land. FLP appreciates the values Mr. Morgan has shared - good stewardship of agricultural land, quality environment and the key role teachers play in shaping the minds of tomorrow - with the Resources for Learning as a resource to accomplish this tremendous task. Project Food, Land & People's Second Edition of Resources for Learning features 55 updated and expanded lessons for PreK-12th grades Project Food, Land & People believes the Second Edition of Resources for Learning provides teachers and students excellent teaching and application materials. It greatly advances the classroom enhancement of linking agriculture, the environment, and people.
Order online at foodlandpeople.org FLP's adopts 2003-2008 strategic plan at annual meeting FLP Adopts Strategic Plan and Mission Statement: The 2003-2008 Strategic Plan was adopted at the annual meeting in February. The FLP Mission is to develop citizens literate about the relationships between agriculture, the environment and human populations. The annual symposium, "Building Bridges of Understanding Between Agriculture, Education, and the Environment," will also continue. Highlights of the plan include support to states with excellent and objective educational material, including the Second Edition, utilizing other delivery formats such as CD ROM and/or web sites, correlating lessons to five national standards, continuing the development and distribution of new lessons, and continuing to formulate new relationships/partnerships. Florida Hosts Annual Conference and Symposium: Representatives from across the nation participated in FLP's fourth annual conference during February in Orlando, Florida. The conference opened with Greg Ira, director, Environmental Education, Florida Department of Environmental Protection sharing insights into Florida's environmental future and Dr. Tom Morgan, president, Morgan Communications Group, highlighting Florida's agriculture and its future.
Mr. Ira told the group that Florida's environmental future is bright. Among his comments were those on Florida's conservation lands acquisition program "Florida Forever," a leader in the nation; private sector investors are looking for sustainable companies; drought impacts heightened public interest in water quality and quantity, and the Everglades are America's Treasure and a unique ecosystem. Environmental education has many benefits including an interdisciplinary approach to learning, problem solving techniques, and participation.
Food, like freedom, is something that has been taken for granted. Abundant, cheap food is what we know, reminds Dr. Tom Morgan as he spoke at the FLP conference. And, as a nation, Morgan continues, we generally don't think much about food. With 98 percent of the population living in cities (less than 2 percent live on farms), Dr. Morgan focuses on telling the story of agriculture to urban audiences. Florida is second in agriculture; farmers are dedicated people - for them, farming is a way of life. America's farms are literally the bread basket of the world. Not many think about the fact that it takes five years for their trees to bear fruit and six years to turn a profit. And, one day of weather changes can make a big difference. Florida, like other states, needs to tell their agriculture story…we are a nation self-sufficient in food. Dr. Morgan is president of Morgan Communications Group. Among the topics discussed were:
Participants, who included several teachers, were guided across Florida's agricultural landscape with tour stops at Knox Nursery, the Lake Apopka Research and Education Center, as well as a greenhouse tour at Disney's Epcot.
FLP Leaders Recognized: Elmer Eckart of San Mateo, California, was recognized for his untiring dedication and commitment to FLP. Eckart, in addition to his leadership as State Contact for California, serves on the National Steering Committee in numerous roles including chairman of the Policy Committee. Arizona Foundation for Ag Literacy and Florida Ag in the Classroom, Inc. received the Outstanding FLP Program Leadership Awards for 2002. Monica Pastor, State Contact for the Arizona FLP program, and Deena Wright together with Florida teachers, accepted the awards. Original State FLP Affiliates Recognized: FLP State Affiliates since 1996 are: California, Connecticut, and Iowa; Ohio became an affiliate in 1997, and in 1998 Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, North Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and Utah became licensed affiliates and began offering the FLP project to educators in their respective states. Chris Williams, chairman of the National FLP Steering Committee, presented the awards at the organization's 2003 annual meeting in Orlando, Florida. FLP's Symposium Building Bridges of Understanding: Securing our Future On February 6, 2003, FLP hosted its annual symposium with a focus on homeland security at U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), environmental security, energy and biosecurity, and global hunger. Homeland Security: Sheryl Maddux, Deputy Director, Homeland Security, USDA, opened the symposium with insight into USDA's role in Homeland Security. The Department's efforts have focused on three key areas: food supply and agricultural production, USDA facilities, and USDA staff and emergency preparedness. One out of every six jobs in the United States relate to agriculture.
Environmental Security: The Everglades Project began as a 700,000-acre area set aside for agriculture. Originally this area is where the winter vegetables grew that fed the country and today it is primarily in sugar. Challenges within the project include the balance between the agricultural, the environmental, and urban needs - especially as it relates to water and water storage. Sally McPherson and Agnes Ramsey, Project Manager, Everglades Restoration Project, shared some of the history of project and the resource area that it is today. Energy and Biosecurity: Martha Madden, Vice President of Tetra Tech, Inc., citied examples of her company's involvement with emergency responses including air quality monitoring at the Pentagon after September 11 to ensure safety for firefighters, personnel, etc.; the anthrax incident, the negative response to a potential attack with a crop dusting powder of a barge on the Mississippi River - all vivid reminders how security has impacted our lives since 9/11. Tetra Tech, Inc. is a provider of consulting, engineering and technical services that supports commercial and government clients in the areas of resource management and infrastructure.
Global Hunger: Heifer Project International has 120 projects in the world and has been helping develop some countries 25-30 years. Dr. Kathy Colverson, Regional Director of the Project, said 840 million people in the world are malnourished (with a population of 6.2 billion people on earth in 2002; 799 million are from developing countries). Children are the most impacted, including 1 out of 5 children in the United States. Malnutrition affects child development with 2 million children suffering visual problems each year from lack of Vitamin A. Globally 6 million children under the age of 5 die every year as a result of hunger; one of the most serious problems is water quality. Currently 54 countries don't produce enough food to meet their basic food needs (2,350 calories per person per day) - most are in sub-Sahara Africa. Heifer International's Read to Feed Web site for kids, parents, teachers, and sponsors provides games, curriculum and classroom activities designed to involve children in global issues and solutions to world hunger and poverty. The Web site is: www.readtofeed.org. Major initiatives of Heifer Project International are: HIV/AIDS and Human Health (36.1 million people in the world have HIV/AIDS); Food Insecurity which is directly related to unemployment. In 2001, Heifer International assisted 45,000 families in 48 countries. Interactive Sessions with Speakers generated discussion on how to bring these topics into the classroom, including the value in building relationships, utilizing credible Web sites as a resource for current topics, developing materials that relate to food safety - globally; understanding of what farmers do to make food safe, and more. Sponsors and Supporters of FLP's 2003 Annual Conference and "Building Bridges of Understanding" Symposium in Orlando, Florida Associated Equipment Manufacturers Association 2004 FLP Annual Conference What's New? www.foodlandpeople.org
NRCS releases Natural Resources Inventory data The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has posted the 2001 National Resources Inventory (NRI) data on their Web site. This is the first year the agency has released an annual survey. The 2001 NRI provides national level data in three areas: soil erosion, land use, and urbanization and development. People seeking regional or statewide data or other items not covered in this NRI release should use the 1997 data. The Web site is: www.nrcs.usda.gov/technical/land/nri01. The NRI data is a resource for several FLP lessons and among those that this new data supports are "Soil Is Not Trivial," "In Harmony," and "Cows or Condos?". Natural Resources We Use" poster complements FLP "Sea to Shining Sea" lesson
Folded or rolled posters available; see order form on last page or order online at foodlandpeople.org. Folded posters: 1: $8, 2-10: $7 each, 11-49: $6 each, 50-99: $5 each, 100 or more: $4 each. Rolled posters: 1: $25, 2-10: $20 each, 11 and more: $16 each. Order online now! We need your financial support Project Food, Land & People is a non-profit, volunteer organization with limited personal service contract staff. FLP is fortunate to have dedicated volunteers across the country. Financial gifts, however, are crucial to enable us to carry out our strategic plan resulting in the education of people of all ages and walks of life about the critical interdependence of food, land and people. If you are in a position to provide financial assistance and/or volunteer your service, please contact: Chris Williams, FLP National Steering Committee Chairman, (480) 963-7959, christopher-williams@foodlandpeople.org . Your support will make a difference!
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We are proud to announce the release of FLP's Second Edition Resources for Learning! This update of 55 lessons for PreK-12th grade provides more background information for educators to save research and preparation time, adds more student pages and vocabulary words and definitions as requested by educators.
Wow! Have you seen the second edition of the Food Land People educational materials? What a terrific resource for our educators across this country. Again, FLP, while remaining true to its original mission, is leading the way toward agriculture literacy.
"As an actor, I understand about playing a role that can take a moviegoer from his or her seat in a local theater to the many scenes and places presented in the movie. In a very similar way, teachers play a special role to transform students from their classroom desks to various locations of learning.
Order a full-color poster created in partnership with Mineral Information Institute entitled "Natural Resources We Use." The poster illustrates the location of materials found in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The poster complements FLP's "Sea to Shining Sea" lesson. The lesson and a cover sheet accompany each poster upon request.