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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:
Partnerships disseminate FLP lessons, secure additional funding support, and boost creativity Coalition members discussed the advantages of partnering during FLP's USA Division Annual Conference, held in Mesa, Arizona, on February 20-22. Partnerships, the theme of this year's conference, were praised as a means of disseminating FLP lessons, securing additional financial support, and boosting creativity. "Everything we do involves partnerships," said Sheldon Jones, Director of the Arizona Department of Agriculture, in opening the conference and speaking of the challenges of urban and rural overlap. "Most people don't have the foggiest idea of where their food comes from," he said. "FLP's curriculum should be in all 50 states." Throughout the conference, representatives from state coalitions shared their success stories of partnering. Colorado Coalition for FLP joins other environmental education projects in producing one educator newsletter. Connecticut FLP has worked with the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection to produce a booklet of state-specific resources and activities that complement FLP's educational materials. Food, Land & People Education Texas Youth has developed memoranda of understanding with various organizations, and receives support with office equipment, administrative support, and in some cases, travel budget, and storage space. "Ask around and you'll probably find some help," recommends FLP Board of Governors member Diana Marquez. The Texas coalition also makes a habit of bringing a "needs list" to each board meeting, and often finds the help it needs right there in the room. Other organizations represented at the conference included the National Cattleman's Beef Association, the National Honey Board, the Mining Information Institute, and Natural Resources Conservation Service. These organizations look to the FLP partnerships as part of their educational delivery system to reach education, agriculture, and environmental communities. Faye Lowe, of Kentucky's FLP coalition, reminded everyone of the cooperative aspects of partnership. "If you let turf battles get in the way, the people you are hoping to serve will not have a chance to have access to the resources," she said. Debra Spielmaker from Utah's coalition, reported on their state'a progress in developing virtual activities to accompany FLP lessons. She also shared several low-cost kits she has developed to enhance FLP lessons in the classroom. FLP President, Mark Linder, offered a "chocolate toast" to partnering, passing out San Francisco Ghirardelli chocolates to the teams of volunteers and staff who have worked extra hard this year to build Food, Land & People. Mark also discussed FLP's role in building state coalitions and developing public/private partnerships. The conference featured other informative presentations, including a lecture on strategic planning and management evaluation, an update on the challenges facing education, and field trips to a Native American cooperative farm and a working ranch (see photo). FLP state coalitions from Texas, Utah, and Wyoming received an award for their exceptional progress over the past year (see photo). Long-time FLP supporter and Chair of FLP's World Learning Center Lu Calpouzos was commended for his outstanding dedication as a Food, Land & People volunteer. Christopher Williams, Chairperson of the USA Division, and organizer of this year's conference, was awarded a special plaque for his 15 years of dedication to FLP as a volunteer leader. Chris expressed appreciation for those FLP members who came from around the country to participate in the conference. "I felt it was a very effective presentation this year," he said. The sentiment was echoed by Mark Linder. " I thought the presentations were very relevant for this stage of development in our organization, and I look forward to working with everyone in 2002."
FLP USA Division Chairperson Christopher Williams (second from right) presented state awards for outstanding FLP program leadership in 2001 to representatives of the following FLP coalitions: (left to right) Debra Spielmaker--Utah Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom, Clyde Gottschalk - Food, Land & People Educating Texas Youth, and Shannon Andreen-Shipp - Wyoming Agriculture in the Classroom.
The conference featured other informative presentations, including a lecture on strategic planning and management evaluation, an update on the challenges facing education, and field trips to a Native American cooperative farm and a working ranch (see photo above). U.S. EPA Administrator presents FLP lesson to fifth grade students at the Presidio U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Christine Todd Whitman co-taught one of Food, Land & People's lessons "Don't Use It All Up" and discussed water usage and conservation with a group of San Francisco fifth grade students at the Crissy Field Center in the Presidio National Park in August. "I am pleased with the educational materials Food, Land & People is making available to teachers," said Administrator Whitman. "FLP's materials address the important interrelationship between our environment and agriculture - our food and fiber production, sustainability and human needs. "These young people remind me that often the greatest stewards of our environment are children — and judging from our class today, I think that the environment will be in good hands long into the future. But it is up to caring adults to help show the way," she said. "Initiatives like these (Food, Land & People) will help raise the next generation of environmentally aware American citizens who are ready to turn their knowledge into action." Clarendon Elementary School educators from San Francisco Diane Garfield and Amber Lewis-Francis were pleased with Adminstrator Whitman's reinforcement to education when she met with their students. "I am a strong proponent of FLP's commitment to education," Garfield said. "I encourage new teachers to utilize the Resources for Learning educational materials in their classrooms."
U.S. EPA Administrator Christine Todd Whitman (left) presents two San Francisco elementary school teachers, Diane Garfield (center) and Amber Lewis-Francis (right), with plaques for "outstanding environmental achievement."
A fifth grade student learns about water use and conservation as part of FLP's "Don't Use It All Up" lesson. Food, Land & People's hands-on, minds-on, real-world activities are being presented nationwide by nearly 12,000 educators who involve more than 300,000 students. FLP's Symposium Offers Ideas for Improving Dialogue "The brushfires will be less intense if we concentrate on how to solve misunderstanding," offered Ralph Grossi, President of the American Farmland Trust, speaking at Food, Land & People's third annual symposium: Building Bridges of Understanding between Agriculture, Education, and the Environment. The symposium, held on November 9 at the Presidio National Park, featured six speakers from across the country. Leaders representing land use, conservation, the environment, and eco- and ag-literacy presented a broad spectrum of opinions about environmental and agricultural practices. "The talks were very instructive, frank, and friendly," said Lu Calpouzos, chair of Food, Land & People's World Learning Center, host of the past three symposiums. "That is exactly what we're striving for," he added. "Good communication between active participants, who are all trying, in their own ways, to do something good." This year the speakers were asked to address ways of improving communication: "What advice would environmentalists give to agriculturalists to improve relations... and vice versa?" Dan Beard, Chief Operating Officer of the National Audubon Society, offered that it is "not so important to discuss what we disagree or agree about, but understand what motivates others." This importance of developing constructive dialogue was echoed by Zenobia Barlow, Executive Director for the Center of Ecoliteracy. "We need to build bridges of agricultural and environmental understanding," she said. The speakers, coming from diverse backgrounds, agreed that reaching greater levels of understanding was essential. "Make the effort to get to know what companies believe in," said Elin Miller, Vice President of DOW AgroSciences. "Look for the examples and signs of progress, and see what measurement is taking place." One of the obstacles to understanding is the lack of information, explained Bob Scowcroft, Executive Director of the Organic Farming Research Foundation. Very few environmental organizations have an agriculture desk he told the participants, and the number of agricultural writers in the press has dropped dramatically. Ralph Grossi offered the wetlands issue as an example of poor understanding between environmentalists and farmers. "Environmentalists made a mistake," he said, " in never explaining why wetlands were important to preserve. To farmers they were swamps." He suggested that more farmers needed to be brought into the mix. "Those of us working on bridges will have to find some covered bridges," he said, speaking of the need to form partnerships and protect the visionary leaders. Keynote luncheon speaker Richard LaPointe, Counselor to the Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education, stressed the importance of education, along with many of the speakers. Linda Proctor-Downing, Executive Director of the Arizona Agribusiness & Equine Center, a public charter high school in Phoenix, spoke of the importance of "training our youth to find and evaluate information, so they can make long-term, future decisions that will promote mutual understanding between different entities." The symposium was led by Martha Madden, Vice President of Tetra Tech, and moderated by Darleen Stoner, Professor of Environmental Education at California State University, San Bernardino, and Vern Cardwell, Professor of Agronomy at the University of Minnesota. Participants in the symposium came from across the country, and included a World Food Prize Laureate from Africa. "The future is looking at the environment and agriculture as one and the same coin," Vern Cardwell said in his concluding remarks. "Our future is dependent upon how well we collectively join together to solve these problems." Discussions are currently underway at Food, Land & People for the fourth annual symposium next year, where the dialogue on Building Bridges of Understanding will continue. The proposed topics include nutrition and food safety. Proceedings of the 2001 symposium will be available shortly on FLP's website: www.foodlandpeople.org. The symposium proceedings from the 1999 and 2000 sessions are available for online downloading and purchasing at www.foodlandpeople.org. The 2001 symposium proceedings will be available soon. You may also order proceedings using the FLP order form. To learn more about the FLP World Learning Center's symposium, please visit the FLP web site: www.foodlandpeople.org/symposium/index.html.
Richard LaPointe (center), Counselor to the Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education, discusses education needs at the FLP Founders Roundtable dinner held in conjunction with the symposium. FLP Around the Country From cows to computers: Ohio educator workshop Thirty-two educators from three Ohio counties had a chance to see FLP's lessons in action at Mike and Ola Shafer's dairy operation and milk-hauling business. The teachers led several FLP lesson activities, ranging from "Perc Through the Pores," which explains soil composition and water movement, to "Cows or Condos," which helps build an understanding of land use issues. For an on-the-ground perspective on the lessons, the teachers toured the dairy operation. Deb Foster of Tri-County Veterinary Clinic offered perspectives on herd health and careers related to agriculture. Tim Berning of Precision Agri-Services provided global positioning system demonstrations and technology updates in agriculture. Northwood Elementary sixth-grade teacher Steve Knouff said he attended the workshop to learn more about how global positioning systems are used on the farm. Berning demonstrated how soil samples are gathered and tested using a small computer installed on a vehicle not much bigger than a golf cart. He said that such sampling helped farmers determine annual yields, soil types, and how much fertilizer the soil needs. Satellite signals are used to determine precise locations for the measurements. "We don't want to put too much manure on the ground. We've got to know what we're doing when we do this. It's not as easy as it looks," said Shafer. Berning explained that the most productive pH level for farmland is between 6.3 and 6.8. Sixth grade teacher Ann Huffman, who team teaches with Knouff in Sidney, Ohio, said she plans to use the pH level studies in math. "We can use it in graphing," she said. The FLP educator training workshop also focused on agricultural literacy activities that meet math and science proficiency requirements. It was paid for largely through donations from Shelby, Darke, and Miami county farm bureaus, Shelby County Educational Service Center, Troy Fish and Game Club, and Shelby County Dairy Boosters.
Mike Shafer (foreground) talks to educators about how cows are milked. The Shafers milk 180 to 200 cows three times daily and supply milk to four Ohio towns. Wyoming workshop targets middle school educators Ten participants in Wyoming's first training workshop this October were delighted with the thoughtful topics and easy applicability of Food, Land & People's curriculum. Lessons such as "Amazing Grazing" and "Seasons Through the Year" sparked teachers' creativity. Participants came up with ways to use the lessons in cultural studies, geography, math, science, and Spanish—and even suggested incorporating music into "Breads Around theWorld." A local rancher provided an opportunity for teachers to learn more about the role of agriculture in the community. Teachers commented that it was helpful to understand the issues and to have agriculture-based lessons to offer their students from rural backgrounds. Asked to rate the workshop, seven teachers gave it an"excellent" rating, and three rated it "very good." Teachers appreciated the work done by Wyoming Ag in the Classroom to correlate the FLP lessons to the Wyoming Content and Performance Standards. They also found the cross-reference sections of Resources for Learning to be an invaluable tool. FLP facilitator Terry Henderson of Douglas coordinated the workshop and recruited participants.
Two Wyoming educators explain their "Amazing Grazing" scenario for effective grazing in a desert climate such as Arizona. FLP continues to evolve as an organization Project Food, Land & People implemented a shift in FLP's organization in 2001. New bylaws restructured FLP into three divisions: FLP USA, FLP World Learning Center, and FLP International. A new 15-member Board of Governors replaces the steering committee as the policy maker for the project. The former steering committee now focuses on the USA Division program. The reorganization allows FLP to maintain and expand its successful USA Program while increasing the attention given to the developing areas of the World Learning Center and the International Program. Under the new bylaws, each of the three divisions will be directed by its own steering committee of 18 to 25 members. Members representing the agricultural, educational, environmental, natural resource, and business/financial professions have been drawn from broad geographical areas of either the United States (USA Division) or the world (World Learning Center and International Divisions). A vice president for each division will be hired as funding allows. The new Board of Governors includes three representatives from each of the three divisions and the advisory board, along with three at-large members. The governors will serve up to three-year, staggered terms. The president of FLP will be responsible to and work for the board. The Board of Governors held its second meeting in November. Members of the FLP Board of Governors: Advisory Board USA Division World Learning Center Division International Division At-Large Members Morgan Freeman promotes FLP resources The following letter signed by actor Morgan Freeman will be part of the next edition of Resources for Learning. FLP thanks Mr. Freeman for his generous support and interest in education. Dear Students and Teachers: Most of the time, we take our land resources for granted and where they come from. We are all dependent upon the land that provides our food, shelter and our livelihood. We live in a nation that has wonderful land resources and agriculture plays an important role in our lives everyday. As an actor, I've seen many places as I've traveled around the world. But you know there's no place like home. Just riding through the woods on horseback or taking in a beautiful sunset makes me mindful of the importance of our natural resources. As a teacher, you play a key role in shaping the minds of tomorrow. This new and exciting adventure – Project Food, Land & People will provide you with the resources to accomplish this tremendous task. Remember when you eat your favorite things, like cheese pizza, or when you wear your favorite cotton T-shirt, or enjoy the comforts of home; well, many of these necessities that we enjoy are products of agriculture – they all come from the land. We need to be aware of the role that farmers contribute in providing us the quality of life we enjoy. As a result of enjoying and using Resources for Learning, I hope you will value and become dedicated to becoming a good steward. Practice what you learn. The earth gives us everything. And now you can give something back. Because there's no place like home.
Morgan Freeman
FLP leaders joined actor Morgan Freeman (third from right) during a reception honoring Freeman for his work with USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service public announcements. The reception also highlighted FLP and its new state coalition in Mississippi. FLP's volunteers teach, give, and partner
I wish you could have been with me at Food, Land & People's USA Division Annual Conference in Mesa, Arizona, in February, as FLP state coalition members from across the country shared their experiences in partnering, the theme of this year's conference. The enthusiasm of these educators, using FLP materials in a number of creative ways, was inspirational, and it was wonderful to see so many dedicated volunteers working together to help Food, Land & People grow as an organization. What Food, Land & People is trying accomplish is vitally important to the future of our society. We are informing both children and adults about the importance of agriculture and the environment in their daily lives, and we are teaching students the critical thinking skills they will need to make informed decisions in the future. Food, Land & People's annual symposiums at the Presidio National Park of San Francisco create bridges of understanding between agriculture, the environment, education, and people of the world. The tragic events of 2001 once again remind us of the fragility of the world and the importance of seeking long-term solutions. Food, Land & People is meeting the challenge and is in a unique position to lead the way. As a global civilization, we must increase our efforts in improving education, fostering cooperation, and building partnerships - areas where Food, Land & People can best offer its expertise. Your financial support will help Food, Land & People make a difference - a significant difference, one that meets a visionary commitment to the future of our children and society. What's New? - www.foodlandpeople.org The following lessons will be featured online quarterly:
Now you can also:
"Natural Resources We Use" poster complements FLP "Sea to Shining Sea" lesson The Mineral Information Institute's poster entitled "Natural Resources We Use" may be ordered from FLP. Folded or rolled posters are available. If you don't have a copy of FLP's Resources For Learning, please let us know and we will include a copy of the lesson "Sea to Shining Sea" to use with the poster. Order online at www.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.
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Newsletter Coordinator: Ruth Donovan Co-Editors: Roxanne Brickell-Reardon, John Davis, Mark Linder, Alison Miller, Cathy Spensley, and Joyce Watkins Food, Land & People is published by Project Food, Land & People, a nonprofit, interdisciplinary, supplementary educational program emphasizing agriculture and the environment. The mission of Project Food, Land & People is to provide educational resources and promote approaches to learning that help educators and students in grades PreK-12 to better understand the interrelationships among agriculture, the environment and people of the world. Land and people are the heartbeat of America's capacity to feed its citizens and others around the world. To sustain this capacity while maintaining environmental quality is one of the greatest challenges our nation faces. Project Food, Land & People meets this challenge through education. FLP enriches existing school education programs and complements Agriculture in the Classroom, Project WILD, Project WET, Project Learning Tree, and youth development programs such as 4-H and FFA. Contact Project Food, Land & People Mark Linder - President
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