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Below is a report from a White-Reinhardt mini-grant recipient. Mini-grants are given to state and county Farm Bureaus to start or enhance ag literacy programs, like the one below. Donations fund these grants.

On behalf of the Cook County Farm Bureau, I would like to sincerely thank you for the funding we received for our new “There’s Ag on My Plate” program*.  The White-Reinhardt grant money was used to expand our education program for 4th grade students in Cook County, IL.  In creating this new program we hoped to reach several hundred students in urban classrooms in and around the Chicago area.  To our surprise, the school year will end with us conducting the program to over 4,000 students in more than 80 schools throughout our county. 

Children do have the best way of giving feedback and we received many letters this year from students who never knew where their food really came from. 

We are pleased with the results of the program and thank you for your funding.  This project met our goal of engaging learners in understanding the food and fiber system and encouraged them to learn more about agriculture.  It aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards and Common Core.  We also distributed a fortune teller to each student which had facts about agriculture to take home to their families to share.  We will continue to offer the Part Two Program during the 2015-16 school year due to the strong impact it has made on teachers and students. 

Sincerely,

Cook County, IL

You can support ag literacy programs like these. Donate today. Your donations are making a difference.

This letter says:

Dear Mr. Bloomatrand,

Thank you for coming to our school. Thank you for taking time out of your day to talk about agriculture. How big is your farm? How many animals do you have?  Your presentation was amazing. I thought it was going to be boring, but you proved me wrong. I learned popcorn came from corn. I also learned cereal is made of wheat. I really liked the experiment. That was the best part.

Sincerely, Luke

* The "There’s Ag on My Plate" program asks students to write down what they ate the previous meal or day. From that the food is connected to the farm and their data is categorized within the USDA My Plate Sections. Examples include: hamburgers from beef cattle, yogurt from dairy cows, and more. When grains are discussed Cook County provides real wheat for students to thresh, winnow and grind to create whole grain flower.  Students also learn how to read a nutrition label.