Agricultural education for grades K - 12 is an important focus of the Los Angeles County Farm Bureau. Many school children do not know where their food and fiber come from. Due to budget cuts and a huge education deficit, the Los Angeles County Farm Bureau works to provide an agricultural element to as many school children as possible each year.

It is amazing to watch the faces of children harvesting vegetables from their own school garden - or see a second grader touch a live turkey for the first time! Teachers we have worked with praise the educational value their classes receive by adding an agricultural element to their teaching curriculum.

The different facets of our agricultural education programs:

• AGdayLA: The Los Angeles County Farm Bureau in conjunction with the Agricultural Commissioner Weights & Measurers of Los Angeles County, California Women for Agriculture Los Angeles Chapter and the 48th District Agricultural Association joined forces to implement AGdayLA.
  
  In the Los Angeles area most children, as well as adults, know very little about where their food comes from and the relationship between their own health, healthy food supply, natural resources and maintaining a healthy environment. Urban children read books that include farm animals and sing about Old MacDonald, but most have never been to a farm, met a farmer or traveled outside their zip code. If future generations are going to care about farms, farming and the preservation of a healthy food supply, they must be directly exposed to the people and places that produce their food.
  
  A study completed by the University of California Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program found that farm visits provide a perfect opportunity for students to use all of their senses to learn, the more they can touch, smell and taste the things they are learning about, the more deeply they will understand and remember what they learn. Not only do the children learn about agriculture, but the education aspects include math, science, language arts, social science and art and follow state education standards.

http://www.agdayla.com

• School Gardens: Each year we assist two to three grade schools with the implementation of their school garden. Our Farm Bureau is able to help schools with 'in-ground' plantings.

• Farmday: Farm Bureau takes the farm animals and farmer to the inner-city school children. We also work with the Dairy Council and their traveling dairy cow classroom. The cow is always a favorite wherever she goes!

• Teacher Conference Scholarships: Los Angeles County Farm Bureau will provide scholarships for grade school teachers to attend Ag in the Classroom Conference.

• Summer Teacher Agricultural Tour: 2003 will be our 1st agricultural tour for Los Angeles County schoolteachers. These teachers will have the opportunity to experience the diverse nature of agriculture both in an urban setting and in the agricultural area of Antelope Valley. Student research papers: Provide students with information on agriculture within our county for school projects and research papers.

• Ag in the Classroom: Is a non-profit organization that provides resource & lesson plans which coincide with state standards to teach students about agriculture. This statewide organization works with all school districts within California. Click here to visit their website.

• 'Imagine This' story writing contest: Any student can enter grades 2nd through 8th. To find out more please contact us!