County Update

January 2012

Contact 916/561-5625 for more information, or to request a previous update.

Happy New Year!

CFAITC would like to thank all of you who attended and supported our 25th Silver Anniversary events!

California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom Highlights of 2011:

San Francisco Farm Day: Over 300 volunteers traveled to 25 San Francisco school sites to teach nearly 10,000 students about agriculture first hand! It was an unforgettable experience for students and volunteers alike.

Urban Students and Agriculture Conference Series: 175 educators attended two 1-day conferences held in Los Angeles and San Francisco Counties. Participants listened to speakers and participated in workshops all about agriculture.

CFAITC has partnered with Agrium, Crop Production Services, to bring the Seed Survivor Mobile Display to California schools. Seed Survivor is a curriculum-based traveling field trip that teaches elementary children about plants and what it takes to grow them through computer games and a presentation. To see if Seed Survivor will be in your county visit: www.learnaboutag.org/seedsurvivor

36 County Farm Bureaus participated in ag literacy events and used some of the many resources we have to offer!

Resources available to County Farm Bureaus for Ag Education Efforts:

CFAITC will be offering the County Ag Education Assistance Funds! There is up to $1,300.00 available to each county for ag education outreach. These funds come in two forms listed below:

• $1,000 Agriculture Education Assistance Funds: Application available at www.learnaboutag.org/agedassistance. Use these funds for Farm Days, teacher trainings, or resources. For other uses, please contact me for approval.
• $300 for promotional items: Order AITC items directly from the materials list at www.learnaboutag.org/countyrequest

10th Edition of What's Growin' On? California Specialty Crops

• 1,000 Complimentary copies for your use! This resource focuses on careers in agriculture! It includes activities, trivia, readings, and graphics that help students understand the many careers in agriculture. Great for Farm/Ag Days, fairs and other agriculture events. Additional copies are available at $25 for 250 papers.

Teacher Resource Packets: Unlimited free packets of resources for teachers that include a variety of AITC materials are available. Great to distribute to teachers at Ag/Farm Days, Summer Ag Seminars and other local events.

Promote your local events: Please let us know when you are hosting an agricultural literacy or educational event. We are happy to help you spread the word of your event on our online calendar and in our Cream of the Crop e-newsletter. List of educators/ambassadors in your area who subscribe to CFAITC's newsletters and resources! You can use this information as you plan your upcoming AITC activities to communicate with teachers in your county.

www.LearnAboutAg.org: Search and download all of our resources, learn about new opportunities and more! Post an agriculture education event that your county is hosting for all to see.

Dates to Remember:

National Agriculture Week Events
Wine Tasting and Hors d'oeuvre Chef Stations
Friday, March 9, 2012
Old Sugar Mill
Clarksburg, CA
6-8:30 p.m.

Wine Tasting and Luncheon
Saturday, April 14, 2012
South Coast Winery Resort & Spa
Temecula, CA
11:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.

For more information please visit: www.learnaboutag.org/naw

Capital Agriculture Day
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
California State Capital
www.cdfa.ca.gov/agday

Imagine this... Story Writing Contest Awards Ceremony
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
California State Capital, Governor's Council Room
3:00 p.m.