Why Ag in the Classroom?
Agriculture means survival. Over time, fewer and fewer people have close contact with farming and the total agricultural sector. They're not aware of their own and society's total dependence on agriculture. People must be agriculturally literate in order to make responsible decisions affecting this giant lifeline.
Teaching students to be agriculturally literate brings their learning to life. Helping students understand the farm-to-table connection is important in our consumer-driven society. That's what the student Minnesota AgMag Series is all about.
About Your AgMag
The AgMag is a great supplement to your social studies, science, or language arts curriculum. The AgMag has particular appeal to the study of Minnesota history and geography. You'll get two issues per school year: October and March.
AgMag Theme: Agriculture and the Land!
- Soil your Undies Challenge!
- Understanding Minnesota, The Land of Lakes
- Agriculture and Water
- Rain Fed Agriculture and Pivot Irrigation
- Careers in Agriculture
Integration Ideas
Science
- Have students identify different rocks and soils in their surroundings (Go for a nature walk, or ask for students to give examples, or bring in some samples.) Discuss what type of weathering or erosion might have occurred to make that rock/soil the way it is today.
- Use the articles on weathering and erosion as a jumping off point for students to create plans for how they can help prevent erosion in their community. Have them work in pairs to come up with a detailed plan that they can then present to the class.
English Language Arts
- Compare and contrast the use of pivot irrigation and rain-fed agriculture.
Glossary
Some words in your AgMag may be unfamiliar to your students. Many are defined in the articles. There is also a glossary on the AgMag website: https://mnagmag.org/glossary/ Words you might wish to pre-teach are:
AGRICULTURE: Growing plants and raising animals that people use for food, clothing and many other things every day. It's also harvesting those farm products and getting them to us so we can use them. Agriculture is the industry that grows, harvests, processes, and brings us food, fiber, fish, forests, sod, landscaping materials, and more. It uses soil, water, sun, and air to produce its products. The process starts on farms, orchards, gardens, and ranches with the growing and the harvesting of crops and livestock, then moves to processing plants before finally traveling as finished products to stores, farm markets, lumberyards, greenhouses, and more where consumers buy the products. Agriculture is connected in some way with almost everything we eat, wear, and use.
Quote from an Unknown Source: "Agriculture is not simply farming. It's the supermarket, the equipment factory, the trucking system, the overseas shipping industry, the scientist's laboratory, the houses we live in, and much more. It has an effect on the air we breathe, the ground we walk on, the water we drink, and the food we eat."
PHYSICAL WEATHERING: This occurs when rocks are broken down into smaller rocks by temperature, water and wind.
CHEMICAL WEATHERING: This occurs when the mineral compounds of the rock react to rain and air, changing the composition of the rock to form a new mineral
EROSION: this occurs when earthen materials are worn away and transported by natural forces such as wind and water.
AQUIFER: large bodies of rock and sediment that hold groundwater
CONFINED AQUIFER: Large bodies found deep underground beneath an impenetrable layer of rock and clay. These aquifers are only accessible through drilling.
IRRIGATE: To supply water to land in order to help crops grow.
Minnesota Academic Standards Connection
| Subject | Standard
Code |
Benchmark |
| Science | 6E.4.1.1.1 | Construct an argument, supported by evidence, for how geoscience processes have changed Earth's surface at varying time and spatial scales. (P: 7, CC: 3, CI: ESS2) Emphasis is on how processes like erosion, deposition, mountain building, and volcanism affect the surface of Earth. Some processes, like mountain building, take a long time. Other processes, like landslides, happen quickly. Examples may include how weathering, erosion and glacial activity have shaped the surface of Minnesota. |
| Science | 6E.3.2.1.3 | Apply scientific principles to design a method for monitoring and minimizing a human impact on the environment.* (P: 6, CC: 2, CI: ESS3, ETS1) Emphasis of the practice is on applying scientific principles about Earth’s natural processes (like how water moves through the ground and air) to designing solutions to problems caused by human activity. Emphasis of the core idea is on how human activity impacts Earth’s environments. Examples of parts of the design process may include assessing the kinds of solutions that are feasible, and designing and evaluating solutions that may reduce those impacts. Examples of human activities that impact the environment may include withdrawing too much water from aquifers, altering stream flow by building dams or levees, increasing runoff caused by impermeable surfaces like parking lots, or adding undesirable materials to the air, water or land. |
| Science | 6E.3.2.1.2 | Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence for how the uneven distribution of Earth's mineral, energy, or groundwater resources is the result of past geological processes. (P: 6, CC: 2, CI: ESS3) Emphasis is on how these resources are limited and typically non-renewable on a human timeframe. Examples of uneven distribution of resources may include petroleum (like in the North Dakota Bakken Shale), metal ores (like iron in the rocks of Minnesota's Iron Range), or groundwater in the different regions of Minnesota. |
| English
Language Arts |
6.5.4.4 | Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings. |
AgMag Cover - Agriculture and the Land!
Discussion Prompts
- What does it mean to care for the earth?
- What are ways you can care for the earth?
- What are natural resources?
- Why is it important to take care of our natural resources?
Page 2-3: Soil your Undies Challenge
Discussion Prompts
- Why is it especially important for farmers and ranchers to be concerned about the health of their soil?
- Healthy soil gives us clean air and water, bountiful crops and forests, productive grazing lands, diverse wildlife, and beautiful landscapes. More information on soil health may be found here https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/conservation-basics/natural-resource-concerns/soils/soil-health
Post-Read discussion
- What are some of the ways you can check to see if you have healthy soil?
- When you dig up the soil can you see earthworms?
- Healthy soil feels crumbly and soft, not dense or compacted.
- Healthy soil has a pleasant, earthy smell.
- What are some of the ways you can improve the health of the soil?
- Avoid disturbing the soil wherever and whenever possible.
- Plant cover crops to minimize soil erosion.
Minimize your impact
There are many examples students could list including if the soil is covered throughout the year with plants or leaves to reduce erosion.
Other items to include when discussing improving soil health may include avoiding soil disturbance wherever and whenever possible. Maximize soil cover with living plants and residue. Maximize biodiversity by growing a variety of plants and managing integration of livestock. Maximize living roots in the soil throughout the year.
Have them work alone, then discuss their list in pairs. Then come together as a class and share their responses.
Soil your Undies Experiment:
The "Soil Your Undies" challenge was created by Oregon farmers in 2018, working with their local Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCDs) and NRCS, as a fun way to build public interest in soil health. The Natural Resources Conservation Service or NRCS provides multiple resources for educators, including guides that double as lesson plans with thought-provoking questions so students can start to apply what they have learned. Videos cover the concepts and soil properties from overview to testing.
Learners will be successful if they:
- Observe decomposition of cotton in soil and can articulate that the decomposition is a result of the activity of soil organisms
- Time Needed: 30 minutes to set up the activity. Two months (or more) for observation
Pages 4-5: Understanding Minnesota, the Land of Lakes
Discussion Question
- How would Minnesota be different if we didn’t have lakes?
- Have you ever wondered where all these lakes come from?
This video is a great supplement to answering the question “where do the lakes come from?”
Post-Reading Activity
- Create 3 columns with the words Weathering, Erosion and Glacial Activity on the top of each column. As a class, discuss the differences between weathering and erosion and glacial activity. Write down the attributes of each under the correct heading.
- Have students discuss and identify what soil region they live in.
If you’re focusing on the weathering aspect, this is a great visual explanation of the difference between physical and chemical weathering:
Pages 6-7: Agriculture and Water
Discussion Question
- How do farmers in Minnesota water their crops?
- Rainwater - The Ponwith Farm is an example
- Pivot Irrigation - The Schlichting is an example
- What is irrigation?
- Irrigation is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow crops.
Page 6 & 7: Water Power on the Mississippi
Discussion Question
- Have you ever heard of a treaty? How did treaties between the U.S. Government and the Dakota people change the history of Minnesota?
- Land loss: The Dakota were forced to give up nearly all their land in Minnesota
- White Settlement: European immigrants settled new farms and towns across Minnesota
- What role does the Mississippi river play in Minnesota?
- Transportation of important agricultural products
- Drinking water
- Recreation
- Animal habitat
- Power at St. Anthony Falls for flour mills
- Why is transportation important in agriculture?
- The ability to transport produce from rural agricultural areas to places where it can be manufactured into food for human consumption is important. Moving agricultural products to cities with higher populations means that farmers can make a profit and there is less waste of their produce.
Aquifers in Minnesota
This set of videos are great supplements to help students define what confined and unconfined aquifers are.
As a class, identify where you are on the map. What kind of aquifer occurs in the region in which you live?
Think and Discuss
Have students work alone or in pairs to plan out where they would establish their farm. Make sure they identify the advantages/disadvantages of farming in that particular region
Rain Fed and Pivot Irrigation
- Have students discuss in pairs which type of irrigation they would choose to have in the region in which you live.
- What are the pros and cons of rainfed and pivot irrigation? Create a T-chart on the board and make a list of the advantages and disadvantages of each system.
Example
Rainfed Pivot________
Low Cost Higher Cost for equipment
Dependent on weather Less dependent on weather - can water at any time
Can save groundwater May use up groundwater (aquifers) if not applied correctly
Page 8: Careers in Agriculture
Encourage students to learn about the country of Somalia and how they share their culture through food. Consider making the ChickPea Salad in class for everyone to try.
- More about the Hoyo Sambusa company and where their Sambusa’s can be purchased can be found on their website.
AgMag 6 Spring Quiz
- Which of the following microbes are found in healthy soil?
A. Bacteria
B. Fungi
C. Viruses
D. All of the above - Which of the following actions occur when rocks are broken down by temperature, water and wind.
A. Glacial Activity
B. Erosion
C. Weathering - Which part of Minnesota is known as the Driftless Area because it was left unscraped by glaciers? Dairy farming and hiking and biking are popular in this part of the state
A. Southeast
B. Southwest
C. Northeast
D. Northwest - 4. What term is used to describe large bodies of rock and sediment that hold groundwater?
A. Aquifers
B. Irrigation
C. Rain fed soil
D. Glaciers - True or False - Jennifer and Prabin enjoy their careers in agriculture because they get to work outside and travel around the state of Minnesota?
A. True
B. False
