LITTLE ROCK, AR – More than 450 educators from around the country will learn how to use agricultural concepts to teach reading, writing, math, science, social studies and more at the National Agriculture in the Classroom Organization’s (NAITCO) National Conference ‘AgVenture in the Natural State’ to be held this week June 19-21 at the Little Rock Marriott.NAITCO and the Arkansas Farm Bureau’s Agriculture in the Classroom program will hold three days of workshops showing kindergarten through 12th grade teachers how to use agriculture to teach core subjects. It received partial funding for the conference from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute for Food and Agriculture (USDA/NIFA).
World renowned autism spokesperson and animal behaviorist Dr. Temple Grandin is the keynote speaker at the opening banquet Wednesday June 19.
Dr. Marty Matlock, executive director of the University of Arkansas Resiliency Center, will speak about global sustainability at the opening luncheon Wednesday June 19. In addition, the USDA/NIFA Director Dr. Scott Angle will present the National Excellence in Teaching about Agriculture Awards at lunch on Thursday June 20.
In addition, conference participants will go on traveling workshops of nearby agribusinesses and research facilities to learn about beef, poultry and rice production, worldwide hunger at Heifer International, and other agricultural issues at these and other stops.
The conference will honor national teacher winners and a national Agriculture Advocate winner for the innovative ways they use agriculture to teach students about this important industry.
“We are excited to host this year’s National Agriculture in the Classroom National Conference in Arkansas,” says Will Fett, president of NAITCO and executive director of the Iowa Agriculture Literacy Foundation. “The national conference will use workshops, awards, and tours of farms to show educators how effectively agriculture can be used in formal classroom
instruction.”
NAITCO and Nutrien, Ltd. will announce new developments with its online games called ‘Journey 2050’ and ‘Farmers 2050,’ which allow players to become virtual farmers who make day-to-day decisions about what to plant, how to care for it and how to sustainably grow food.
Of the more than 450 conference participants, about half are teachers from around the country, many of whom received scholarships provided by CHS Foundation, Inc. to cover their conference registrations. In addition, American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture will honor at the conference teachers and agriculture industry educators for using
agriculture as an effective teaching tool as part of its White-Reinhardt Fund for Education program.
A big ‘thank you’ goes to national conference sponsors USDA/NIFA, CHS Foundation Inc., Nutrien Ltd., American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture, American Egg Board, Ardent Mills, Corteva Agriscience, Farm Credit, Monsanto, Ford
Motor Co., Iowa Farm Bureau, Protect the Harvest, Riceland Foods Foundation, Tyson Foods, among others. Their support helps keep registration costs low so more teachers can attend.
NAITCO is a non-profit organization representing Agriculture in the Classroom programs in 50 states and the District of Columbia. Its mission is to educate K-12 teachers and students about the importance of agriculture by providing them with educational resources, grant opportunities, awards programs and a national conference that demonstrate how agriculture can be used to effectively teach core subject areas.
