As part of Farm to School Month, we partnered with Midwest Dairy to visit farms across Minnesota that have a connection to their school providing local food. During this visit, we were headed to Central Minnesota, where we have the Ahlgren family, Sarah and Rick. Darwin, Minnesota, is home to the largest ball of twine, and is also the community where Ahlgren Dairy calls home.
Ahlgren Dairy Farm Virtual Field Trip Read More »
The air is crisp, the leaves are turning, and pumpkins glow in a row with silly faces. That can only mean one thing… fall is here! One of my favorite
Throughout the month of October we have been partnering with Midwest Dairy to host 5 virtual field trips to celebrate Farm to School month. We want to meet farmers who
Minnesota is home to a wide variety of agricultural animals that provide us with food and many other items we use every day! My daughters and I thought it would be fun to highlight two breakfast ideas that include products from three Minnesota-grown animals – chickens (eggs), pigs (Canadian bacon) and dairy cattle (cheese).
Chickens, and Pigs, and Dairy Cows – OH MY! Read More »
This story highlights the unique partnership between a Minnesota bison farm and coffee shop.
Think of dairy products that you or people you know like to eat and drink: milk, cheese, yogurt, ice cream…YUM!
Journey 2050 takes middle and high school students on a virtual simulation that explores world food sustainability and answers the question above. The online program guides students through necessary instruction and allows students to make decisions on a virtual farm to witness their impact on society, the environment and the economy at a local and global scale.
Imagine it’s snack time and you are HUNGRY! How about a nice plate of….grass? Grass does not sound delicious to us but it’s a favorite snack of cattle. Our human digestive system isn’t able to break down the cellulose found in grass, alfalfa and other plants, but cattle have a ruminant digestive system. This system uses a four-compartment stomach to break down cellulose and use it for energy that allows cattle to produce meat and milk. May is recognized as National Beef Month – a time for us to celebrate the meat that beef cattle give us!
We know many teachers had field trips to farms or other agriculture related field trips planned for the spring that probably won’t be happening this year. While a video can’t completely replicate a field experiences, we do a have great video series that we call “Follow Your Food”. This video series would be great to use as a part of a distance learning lesson. There are 4 short videos to watch that look at carrot production in Northfield, the St. Paul Farmers Market, Wozupi Tribal Gardens in Shakopee and honey production in Minneapolis.
Follow Your Food Video Series Read More »
What can you do with corn starch, corn oil and little water? Make bioplastic – of course! Our National Agriculture in the Classroom network is working to provide e-learning resources that students can easily complete at home to get a glimpse into the exciting and diverse world of agriculture. I thought that my daughters, 10 and 8, would be perfect people to try out one of these e-learning activities.
DIY Bioplastic for Students Grades 3-5 Read More »
