Linn County Education Outreach plans to goes virtual for the 2020/21 school year. While we are sad to not join you in the classroom, we are excited about the opportunities that technology can provide. Why Teach Agriculture? Agriculture provides local connections to math, science and social studies concepts. By offering agriculture in the classroom we can create real-world STEM opportunities. Did you know our National Agriculture Literacy Themes align with 90 Iowa Core science standards? National Agriculture Literacy Themes: 1. Agriculture & the Environment 2. Plants & Animals for Food, Fiber & Energy 3. Food, Health & Lifestyle 4. Culture, Society, Economy & Geography 5. Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics We would like to help you incorporate agriculture into your "Return to Learn" plan this fall with the following options. Monthly visits: Experience agriculture in your own classroom by inviting Linn County Farm Bureau Education Outreach to virtually visit your classroom once a month. Visits typically last between 30 and 45 minutes. Lessons are Iowa Core aligned. - Option one: Monthly kits with pre-recorded videos introducing lesson, materials, and scheduled virtual chat - Option two: Monthly kits with pre-recorded video and materials with no scheduled chat - Option three: Monthly kits with lesson plans - Option four: Monthly lesson materials sent by email or available to download from website - Option five: Pre-recorded video and digital lesson plan Unit kit delivery (i.e. hatching, planting, soil, harvest, etc.) FarmChat®: Take a field trip without leaving the classroom. Through FarmChat®, we can visit a farm or agriculture business through virtual technology. Publications (by request): My Family Farm Series, Iowa Ag Today Magazines, Flat Aggie Adventures (dairy, pork and turkey). We can't wait to connect! Email Morgan Hibbs at mhibbs@ifbf.org with any concerns or comments! *Plans are not set and stone, we are evaluating feedback from teachers and will implement one or all of the options above to best meet the needs of our Linn County teachers. Plans are subject to change as we receive new recommendations due to COVID-19. Check out what previous teachers have to say about LCEO! "I love that the program reaches all levels of students and lets them be hands-on!" "The lessons are developmentally appropriate for the kindergarten aged student. They incorporate literature, questioning and response, and tie the lesson up with a highly engaging activity. The lessons are the perfect amount of time. Morgan is a fantastic facilitator and understands the young learner. That is critical! The students look forward to her visits each month! Morgan is willing to share her expertise outside the lesson time. She is a wealth of knowledge about agricultural literature and other resources that may enhance learning that we are doing." "I loved being able to provide our children with science topics that are more local to our area." "Exposed kids to things and topics that many of them have never been exposed to or had experiences with. Hands-on activities are awesome!" "I have seen improvements over the course of the past few years and am impressed with the level of engagement and how well the lessons complement what we are doing in the classrooms. The only change that I wish we could see would be MORE visits!"

This summer we are hosting a Friday FarmChat® series in partnership with Scott, Buchanan and Delaware County Farm Bureau! We have a fun pre-recorded video for you brought to us by Noble Tangerines and Florida Ag in the Classroom! Find the video link here! I had the opportunity to interview Bill Roe, Vice President of WG Roe and Sons, about what it is like to grow citrus in Florida. Noble Tangerines is a world-wide citrus operation based in Winter Haven, Florida. Florida tangerines can even be found in local Linn County grocery stores! It was so fascinating to learn about the process of growing citrus. The lifecycle of a citrus tree begins in a greenhouse nursery. Trees are grown inside to protect against disease pressure. Once the trees are about a foot tall, they are grafted to a rootstock using the budding method. Grafting is used to help speed up growth, encourage shorter trees (for easier harvest), decreasing disease pressure and stabilizing sugar content. There are approximately 125-250 traditional trees per acre and 400-450 dwarf trees per acres. Bill and his crew fertilize the trees in the spring but avoids spraying in the summer months; when ground leeching is more prevalent. Fertilizing adds essential nutrients back into the soil and helps increase the quality and quantity of the fruit. All of the fruit is harvested by hand! The picking crew clips a small amount of branch above the fruit to avoid pulling the plug and damaging the fruit. There are 10 truckloads of fruit harvested in one day! A crew of 25 people can harvest an average of 1500 boxes of fruit! Noble Tangerine develops their own fruit varieties; one being the 'Juicy Crunch'! Bill said you can find it in the stores around the holiday season! To learn more about growing citrus...watch this awesome Florida Ag in the Classroom FarmChat®! Find the video link here!

Jason Russell lives and farms near Prairieburg with his wife and three kids. Jason raises pigs, sheep, feeder calves, corn, soybeans and specialty crops. This summer we are highlighting the stories of agriculture through a program called FarmChat®. FarmChat® is a unique program that utilizes technology (Skype, Facebook, FaceTime and other software platforms) to bring the farm experience directly to families. Viewers can ask the farmers questions in real-time. Jason, Linn County Farm Bureau Board of Director, invited us to learn about how he grows chickpeas and flax in Linn County. Jason first planted chickpeas three years ago after visiting Australia. He learned that chickpeas can be grown using similar equipment to corn and soybeans and he decided to give it a try as a way to diversify his farming business. Chickpeas also known as Garbanzo beans are a great plant-based protein and often used for hummus and gluten free flour. Flax seed also know as linseed has traditionally been grown for linen (fiber), but more recently has been grown for the seed. Flax is a great source of Omega-3 and today many people add flax to their diets! Flax can also be fed to livestock! Jason planted 150 lbs of chickpea seeds per acre and 10 lbs of flax seed per acre; planting a total of 5.5 acres. Deciding to try something new this year, Jason planted the seeds using a method called polyculture. ***Polyculture is a form of agriculture in which more than one species is grown at the same time and place in imitation of the diversity of natural ecosystems (hay-alfalfa, orchard grass, etc. can be another example). There are so many benefits to polyculture planting! Increasing diversity can help control pests and diseases and it can increase microbial activity! Chickpeas and flax can be planted and harvested with similar equipment to corn and soybeans. Jason uses a planter with a grain drill to sow the seeds. He planted the seeds separately but in the same day. Once the plant has reached maturity, Jason uses a windrower to cut the crop. After the crop dries he runs it through the combine to separate the seed from the plant. Flax and chickpeas have a short growing season compared to corn and soybeans! The crop will be harvested before September, allowing a good window of time before harvesting corn and soybean fields. Jason and his family direct markets the chickpeas and flax in individual bags to community members interested in the health benefits or buying local! If you have questions about growing chickpeas or flax email mhibbs@ifbf.org and I will see what I can find out! Follow us on Facebook at Linn County Education Outreach (@LinnCoAg) to view the video!

The first dairy cow came to Jamestown in 1611. Did you know just like our pets, there are different breeds of dairy cows? Each breed has unique characteristics! Here a list of the six most popular dairy breeds (no specific order) in the United States! 1. Jersey The Jersey cow originated in the Isle of Jersey in the English Channel. Jersey cows are the smallest of all the breeds, weighing between 800 and 1200 pounds at maturity. They are light to dark brown in color and have large brown eyes. Jerseys produce the least amount of milk but where they lack in quantity they succeed in quality. Jersey milk is high in butterfat and protein. This breed adapts well to various climates! 2. Holstein Holstein cows originated from the Netherlands and are known for their high milk production, averaging 22,530 pounds of milk a year. Holstein cows are a large breed with signature black and white or red and white markings. Each marking is unique. 3. Brown Swiss Brown Swiss originated from Switzerland and is one of the oldest breeds. They range from a silver to dark brown color with large ears. Brown Swiss cows adapt well to hot and cold temperatures and are sound on their feet, making the breed a long-lasting productive animal. Their milk is good for making cheese. 4. Guernsey Guernsey cows originated from Isle of Guernsey in the English Channel and are known for their yellow "golden" milk (high levels of vitamin A). They have a fawn (red-golden) coat with white markings. Guernsey cows tend to be docile and efficient grazers. 5. Ayrshire Ayrshire cows are a large breed with a red and white coat. They originated from the Scottish County of Ayr. Ayrshire cows are adaptable to a variety of climates and can be found in many countries across the world. These cows are hardy animals and have easy calving traits. 6. Milking Shorthorn The dual purpose Milking Shorthorn originated from Great Britain and was raised for meat and milk. Today the breed is divided into milking shorthorns and beef shorthorns. The large breed has a white and roan (red, black or brown) coat. As one of the oldest breeds, the milking shorthorn has a high protein content and is docile. Fun Facts: The first ice cream parlor opened in 1777. Cows are milked for 3-4 years on average. High producing cows can give 25 gallons of milk a day. Cows supply 90% of the world's milk supply. Sources: https://www.midwestdairy.com/education/farm-life/dairy-cows/

Thirty local teachers participated in “Dairy and Pork and Beef, Oh My,” a professional development opportunity for educators. The workshop was a collaboration between Iowa Agriculture Literacy Foundation (IALF), Delaware County Farm Bureau, Linn County Farm Bureau, and Buchanan County Farm Bureau. The workshop was intended to be held in person but due to COVID-19 was transition to a virtual opportunity and was offered June 15 and 16, 2020. Participants Joined in for a live two hour zoom session where they were able to connect with others in the class and learn about course requirements. Participants also had the opportunity to hear from Rebecca Vittetoe, Morgan Hibbs, Shelby Hawkins, Will Fett and Ellen Cook. Rebecca Vittetoe, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Field Agronomist, presented on the “day in the life.” She shared her career story, science of crop problem solving, connections to history, and the technology involved. Morgan Hibbs, Linn County Farm Bureau and Shelby Hawkins, Buchanan and Delaware County Farm Bureau, demonstrated how to incorporate hydroponics into the classroom at all ages. Lesson materials were presented on Moodle, an online course platform, by Will Fett, IALF Executive Director and Ellen Cook, IALF Intern. The workshop helped teachers apply Iowa Core standards including social studies and science in the context of teaching of agriculture. Content included; the chemistry involved in a ruminant digestive system, technology displayed in a pig barn, practices used on a vegetable farm and the change in equipment over the years. Participants were encouraged to think about the real-world and applicable ways each topic could help meet Iowa Core Standards. Participants will continue to learn about agriculture throughout the remainder of the month. The online self-paced workshop will conclude in July. Workshops are made possible by supporters of the Iowa Agriculture Literacy Foundation including the Silos and Smokestacks National Heritage Area, Bayer, REAP Conservation Education Program, and Farm Credit Services of America with additional support from Iowa Corn Growers Association, Iowa Farm Bureau Federation, Iowa Pork Producers Association, Corteva Agriscience, GROWMARK, and the Iowa Beef Industry Council.

This Friday we are visiting a greenhouse for the second FarmChat® in our Facebook summer series! Stacie grows flowers, vegetables and herbs to sell to local customers each spring. She also has a flower shop in her basement. Before we visit with Stacie on Friday, I thought it would be good to discuss why and how someone might grow plants indoors. Many vegetable and flowers farmers will choose to begin their seeds indoors using artificial light and heat or in a heated greenhouse. Starting seeds indoors allows farmers to get a jump start on the growing season. Some seeds can be tricky to grow directly into the soil. For example, Statice is a filler flower and direct seeding is not recommended. Starting seeds indoors also makes it easier to control the environment... no risk of frost, no weeds popping up, and no continuous spring showers. Seed starting rooms vary in size from farm to farm but basically you need light (a shop light will work) and a heat mat (heat mats are optional, we did without for a few years and it worked fine but the mat does speed up germination). *Germination is the process in which the seed begins to grow. A greenhouse is a structure with walls and roof made of transparent material, such as glass or plastic. A greenhouse is the most controlled type of indoor housing for plants. Greenhouses are also more permanent than the structures below. Plants tend to sit up on tables in pots or trays. Where with hoop houses and high tunnels, the seedlings/seeds are planted directly into the soil. Greenhouse grown plants are usually planted outside by the farmer or customer after the frost-free date. A high tunnel is in-between a greenhouse and hoop house. It is semi-permanent and can be heated but is usually heated with the sun. high tunnels are often taller than hoop houses. The sides can be rolled up to let air flow in and out. A hoop house is a tunnel typically made from steel and covered in plastic. The interior heats up because the sun warms the soil inside the building faster than heat can escape the structure. The sides can be rolled up on this type of system. Hoop houses are usually semi-circular and more of a temporary structure. There are so many pros and cons to growing plants indoors but most importantly all of these structures extend the season later into the fall! It is good to remember that crop rotatio, soil health, and pest/insect control is still important!

On Tuesday, June 2, 2020 Morgan Hibbs, Linn County Farm Bureau Education Outreach Coordinator, partnered with Cindy Hall, Iowa Agriculture Literacy Foundation Education Program Manager, to host Food, Garden and Ag; an online training for implementing a school garden. Local daycare providers with Community Coordinated Child Care (4Cs) came together to learn about the importance of connecting students to where and how their food is grown. The hour and a half online workshop focused on the importance of gardening with children, learning connections, literacy opportunities and building a school garden with tips and tricks. Why garden with children? Gardening provides opportunities for responsibility, learning, nutrition, and fun! The outdoors can promote sensory interactions and learning connections to science, math, social studies and literacy. Books, lessons and resources: Books: - The Thing about Bees, So you want to Grow a Taco?, Achoo!, My Family's Apple Farm, The Honeybee Man, The Tiny Seed, and so many more! Lessons: - Seed germination necklaces, mini greenhouse, seed bombs, seed tape, pollinator tube, garden games, plant labels, soil paint, seed letters. Resources: - Iowa Ag Literacy Foundation - Linn County Education Outreach - National Ag in the Classroom To learn more email mhibbs@ifbf.org.

Hello friends! I hope this blog post finds you well and healthy! We are wrapping up our last week of virtual learning. For the last nine weeks we introduced a new theme on our Linn County Facebook page. Each unit included a read-aloud book, activity sheets (downloads available on our website), STEM activity and video/FarmChat®. Week One: PIZZA During week one we focused on where the toppings for pizza come from! Did you know you can grow a whole pizza? It might be hard to raise a cow or pig in your backyard but our read-aloud demonstrates how to grow all of the ingredients for the tomato sauce! Other activities included a pizza snack, research project, "How does it Grow" YouTube videos and a pizza AgMag! Week Two: TRANSPORTATION Week two was a super fun week for me! I hopped in the truck with my brother, Michael, and recorded a video about the "Day in the Life" of a semi-driver! Transportation is essential to agriculture! Goods travel by truck, plane, barge, and railroad. Activities included a video interview with Michael, float the boat and Pringle challenge STEM activity, supply chain cards and Iowa Ag Today Issue 4! Week Three: HATCHING Our hatching week was brought to you in partnership with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Linn County! This was a super special week for us, we are normally hatching chicks in the classroom but since that wasn't possible this year, we hatched chicks in the office! Scroll down on our Facebook page to observe live candling and hatching! Other activities included a FarmChat with Lucky Star Farm at the end of the week, BINGO, and a hatching workbook! Week Four: BEEF Our beef unit was one of my favorites! We raise beef cows on our farm and I was able to do a FarmChat with my dad, Rick Ball, and sister, Megan Johnson. We also learned about Temple Grandin and the incredible work she has done for the beef industry. Other activities included a "build a calf" genetics lab, math worksheet, and the Iowa Ag Literacy Foundation "My Family's Beef Farm." Week Five: FOUR-LEGGED FARM FRIENDS Week five brought together a lot of the agriculture friends I have made over the years! I put a request on Facebook to see photos of farm dogs and the response was amazing! Our four-legged farm friend theme was super fun! We began the week with farm dogs; continued with pigs, dairy cows, and wrapped up with a live goat FarmChat! Week Six: INSECTS AND POLLINATORS Our insects and pollinators unit is very timely! Spring is here and summer is right around the corner! Learn how to make seed bombs and a flower origami! Other activities include read-aloud stories and fun pollinator videos! Week Seven: PLANTING SEASON Most of the farmers around here are wrapping up their 2020 planting season! During week seven, we had fun learning about seed germination, corn diversity, and how to make corn plastic! Our planting unit also included two great videos from our Board of Directors, Tim Keegan and Nate Hofmann. Week Eight: SUSTAINABILITY Sustainability is important to all of us and during week eight we dug into renewable energy, composting, cover crops and watersheds! Other activities included a water test, Journey 2050 online game, and a STEM engineering activity. Week Nine: FARMERS MARKET Farmers market was our last unit theme! We had a great week learning about the types of products sold at markets, how different plants grow and the technology utilized. Activities included a FarmChat with a small cut-flower garden, fruit and vegetable BINGO, math worksheets and online games! Even though we are officially wrapping up our weekly units, it is not too late to participate! All of our activities are perfect for SUMMER! We would love to see your participation! Share your photos with us by emailing them to mhibbs@ifbf.org. Visit our website to learn more!

Welcome Paige McGovern, our newest teammate! Paige will begin her internship with the Linn County Farm Bureau Education Outreach Program in early August! The Education Outreach Intern will gain agriculture education experience by preparing lesson materials, managing digital content and developing curriculum in accordance with the mission and goals of the education outreach program. Paige will be attending the University of Northern Iowa in the fall to major in child psychology and journalism. Her hobbies include writing, horseback riding, and spending time with my family and friends. She grew up on a family farm in Central City. “Agriculture has always been a significant factor in my life, and I hope to spread the importance of ag to future generations,” says Paige.

This year our theme is cultivating ag literacy! Our first year we planted ag knowledge, last year we ignited ag interest and this year we are creating a long-lasting foundation by cultivating ag literacy! We are wrapping up the year differently than in the past, but I am so blessed to have had the opportunity to impact young minds on the importance of knowing where our food and products come from. I am so grateful to the teachers who open their classroom doors and invite me to visit. Even though the year did not end like we were all hoping, so much was accomplished, and I feel it is important to celebrate the 2019/20 school year. Linn County Farm Bureau Education Outreach is cultivating ag literacy locally with 12,589 student impressions made between September 2019 and May 2020! The program reached 10,002 total classroom students with 1,245 students enrolled in our monthly program, 439 students through FarmChat®, 328 students explored agriculture during career days, 370 plus students stopped at our booth during a STEM Fest, 75 students participated in our hatching program, 130 students requested a STEM kit be mailed to their homes during no-school and 15,603+ people viewed or engaged in our online virtual learning units. Thank you for a wonderful year! I hope you all have a fantastic summer and I can't wait to begin planning for 2020/21!

**UPDATE (5/15): Current guidelines from the governor limit gatherings of 10 or more people and recommend social distancing. Because of this, we will be transitioning workshop to a virtual platform. Topics will remain the same and credit is available! “Dairy and Pork and Beef, Oh My!” a teacher professional development is being offered by Iowa Agriculture Literacy Foundation in partnership with Linn, Buchanan and Delaware County Farm Bureau. The two-day workshop is being offered June 15 and 16, 2020 at Heartland Acres in Independence, Iowa. The workshop will be available for teacher recertification credit and graduate level credit. This fast-paced professional development will give teachers, extension personnel, and others who educate youth the skills they need to implement many of the Iowa Core social studies and science standards. Participants will take home activities and lesson ideas that can be immediately implemented into their classroom. The workshop will be hands on and interactive with one day of site visits and tours and one day of practical classroom application. Participants will observe veterinary medicine, a modern dairy, a vegetable farm and advances in agricultural innovations. To find out more about the workshop visit www.IowaAgLiteracy.org. The workshops will proceed as planned provided we can ensure the health and safety of our staff and workshop participants. We are monitoring the COVID-19 related news and events closely. If we can not host in-person, we will pivot to online. Participants can still receive license renewal or graduate level credit by completing the course requirements. Visit https://www.linncoag.com/workshops to learn more!

This week during our virtual ag classroom we will be focusing on transportation in agriculture. The definition of transportation is the movement of people or goods from one place to another. To begin ask yourself the following questions; How does food get to the grocery store? Who transports our food? What are the truck drivers hauling on the interstate? What are the different modes of agriculture transportation? According to our National Ag in the Classroom lesson, By Land, Air or Sea, the term supply chain is used to describe the sequence of processes involved in the production, processing, and distribution of a commodity (a product of agriculture that can be bought or sold). Transportation is essential to agriculture! Goods are delivered all over the world, even to some regions that cannot produce certain foods. For example, in Iowa our citrus fruit is grown in warm climates and brought to us. The main modes of transporting products include; trucks, trains, airplanes, and barges. TRUCK AND TRAILERS Did you know, there are over 32 million trucks on the road everyday? Trucks provide an efficient way to transport agriculture goods. Specific trailers are designed to haul different commodities from the farm, to the factory and then to the grocery store. VAN TRAILER: A van trailer, also know as a box trailer is fully enclosed and will protect the goods from rain, snow and wind. HOPPER TRAILER: A hopper trailer is used to haul grain in bulk. The top is open when filling and then often covered with a tarp. Hopper trailers have one or two hoppers on the base of the trailer to unload the product. The trailer is light weight in order to maximize bushels transported. REEFER/TANKER TRAILER: A reefer trailer is a refrigerated shipping container for transporting perishables. Similarly, tanker trailers have special insulation to keep milk and other liquids cold. LIVESTOCK TRAILER: A livestock trailer is designed to haul animals safely from the farm to their destination. There are different styles of livestock trailers depending on if you are hauling cattle, pigs, poultry, etc. The holes help to keep air flow moving in the trailer but they come with plugs if it is a cold or wet day. FLATBED/HAY TRAILER: Flatbed trailers are used to transport large equipment and likewise, hay trailers are used to haul large round bales. RAILROAD: Did you know, reefer rail cars have been used to transport perishable goods since 1860! Other rail cars haul dry goods and coal. The rail car sits on a set of tracks made of steel rails and plays an important part in transporting goods across great distances. BARGE: When I was younger we would travel to Guttenberg and watch the barges come in on the Mississippi River. It was always a neat site to see! A barge is a flat bottomed vessel that is used to carry cargo from one major production area to another. A barge travels typically on canals and rivers. Barges can be self-propelled, pushed or towed. CARGO PLANES: Cargo planes are used to transport high value and perishable products and is the fastest mode of transportation. Also known as freight aircraft, the plane typically has one or more large doors for loading and unloading the cargo. Transportation has evolved over the years and so has our tracking systems! Now our goods are marked with scanners that help keep track of estimated delivery time and date. GPS has also greatly improved deliveries! What is your biggest take away? Which mode interests you the most? How important is transportation to agriculture? Visit the National Ag in the Classroom website to view the complete By Land, Air or Sea lesson plan and follow us on Facebook to participate in transportation STEM activities!