Ramsey Harvey, a K-6 Garden Educator in Plumas County, is our September Teacher Feature in our Cream of the Crop Newsletter. With schools closing, we received permission to send plants home with the school lunch program that delivered meals to kids. We also sent home packets of flower seeds. Gardening at home is a hands-on way to #LearnAboutAg@Home!
Learn more about Ramsey and read her Teacher Feature to see how she helps her students #LearnAboutAg!
Agriculture… à la carte – Your Weekly Ag Update: Has the pandemic changed the way that you buy food? This New York Times article shares 7 ways that the pandemic has changed the shopping patterns for many Americans. From new snacking habits to more complex cooking, grocers are working to keep up with he latest shopping trends.
Don’t forget to download your shopping list for our coming Live cooking demo with Patrick and Bobbin Mulvaney during our CA Agriculture in the Classroom Conference Virtual AgVentura! Registration closes tomorrow!
#FunFactFriday – Have you tried a watermelon yet this summer? Did you know that the hotter the summer the sweeter the watermelon? This is just one of the many fun facts about fruits and vegetables that you will learn from Your Produce Man, Michael Marks during his presentation at the CA Agriculture in the Classroom Conference, Virtual Ventura!
The virtual conference starts in 1 week! Registration closes on Tuesday, September 22 at 5pm. Make sure to register today!
“Students have gained a love and respect that agriculture has given them by seeing the options that are available to them. The ability to show them that the options to them are endless and that without agriculture none of these wonderful flavors, colors, textures and nutrition would be possible.” – 2019-2020 Literacy for Life Grant Recipient
Literacy for Life grants are designed to help initiate new projects or expand existing ones that promote agricultural literacy. Grants of up to $500 are provided to California K-12 educators to support the integration of agriculture into regular classroom instruction.
Apply today! Applications close October 1!
Learn more about avocados and the resources with the resources below!
Agriculture… à la carte – Your Weekly Ag Update: In 2019, California’s farms and ranches received more than $50 billion in cash receipts according to data published by CDFA in their Planting Seeds blog. This represents a slight increase over reported cash receipts for 2018. California produces more than 400 different commodities and a third of the country’s vegetables and two-thirds of the country’s fruits and nuts!
The full report for the 2019 crop year, will be released in late 2020. For most recent agricultural statistics, please visit CDFA.
#FunFactFriday: Tomatoes are the #TasteandTeach commodity for September. Did you know you can enjoy tomatoes year-round by trying canned tomatoes when fresh are out of season? And in some cases, canned tomatoes have a more concentrated source of nutrients like the antioxidant lycopene? Watch this video from Tomato Wellness to learn more about tomatoes!
We have a few Taste and Teach grants still available! Make sure to apply today for a $100 gift card to teach your students about fruits, vegetables, nuts and dairy products!
We are so excited for our upcoming live virtual field trips included as part of our California Agriculture in the Classroom Conference – Virtual AgVentura!
To learn more about our upcoming field trips, check out these stories from CA Bountiful!
Tomato time, all the time: Houweling’s in Southern California produces year-round supply of tomatoes.
“There’s nothing quite like that first taste of a summertime tomato. But what if you could have that experience all year long? That’s where Houweling’s Tomatoes in Ventura County comes in!”
In the land of lemons: These California farmers and chefs are adding a little zest to your life!
“With more than 7,000 acres of lush lemon trees, Limoneira isn’t just the biggest lemon grower in California—it’s the biggest in all of North America. Based in Santa Paula, the farm is a testament to what hard work and determination can do.”
To learn more about these Ventura farming operations, register for our conference and experience them live on Septmeber 25-26, 2020!
Do you have a young photographer who wants to #LearnAboutAgathome? Ag in the Classroom partners with the California Farm Bureau to host the Budding Artists division of their annual photo contest. Photographers 14 years old and younger (whose parents are a California Farm Bureau members) are eligible to earn prizes and statewide recognition for their work! The annual deadline is September 30.
https://learnaboutag.org/programs/budding.cfm
Did you know that grapes are harvested at night when temperatures are cooler? Day time temperatures change the sugar composition of grapes. Watch the video below to #LearnAboutAgatHome and see a grape harvest in action! 
