End of Summer Recap!

"Wow, what a fun summer full of agriculture connections." Linn County Farm Bureau had the opportunity to partner with local libraries, daycare centers, county fair and Iowa State University Extension and Outreach-Linn County Day camps to bring agriculture activities to our Linn County youth and families. Themes aligned with a variety of agriculture literacy outcomes including plants and animals, agriculture and the environment and science and technology. A few of the activities included cover crop monsters, sunflower life cycle, mini greenhouses, composting worms, pollination, build-a-barn, milk and milk substitutes, grains, biodegradable packing peanuts, and farm webs! Students of all ages, from toddlers to fifth graders, participated in these summer activities. Participants had the opportunities to learn where the cereal comes from, play with slimy worms, and participate in challenges such as building a barn from spaghetti noodles and marshmallows! It was great to see students express their creativity and curiosity through these lessons and activities!

We also offered three STEM kits that were delivered at the beginning of each month. This year, our Summer STEM Kit theme was sports. Students learned how agriculture and byproducts are all around us. Students got to participate in activities that taught them where things come from – like how footballs and baseballs can have byproducts from animals or how our favorite summertime snacks, like popcorn, come from farms all around us. These lessons helped students learn to connect everyday activities and objects with local agriculture.

Not only did we provide various lessons and activities throughout the summer, but we also began planning for lessons to use in the upcoming school year! We recorded a handful of FarmChat Fridays that will be used with newly created lessons and activities during the 2022-2023 school year! A trip to a beef and bison farm, a local blueberry patch, and a small-town coffee shop will be available, introducing students to some of the broad agricultural career opportunities available all across Iowa! We can’t wait to show students the fascinating aspects of agriculture and how we can all learn from it.

I found this summer to be one full of great opportunities! I was able to teach new lessons to various age groups, allowing myself to become more comfortable with the content and teaching in general. I also had the opportunity to go on various trips and learn new things! Going to visit the local farms we recorded FarmChats with allowed me to realize how much there’s still to learn in agriculture. It’s always exciting to see these new opportunities and allow my creativity to flow when creating new lesson plans. I’m excited to take these new things I learned and created and apply them throughout the school year.

We would like to thank the following locations and businesses for inviting us to educate youth on the importance of agriculture during these past few months. We appreciate the opportunity and look forward to working with you all in the future: Center Point Public Library, Lisbon Public Library, The Linn County Fair- Linn County, Taste of Iowa Camp – Iowa State Extension and Outreach- Linn County, Kitchen Concoctions Camp – Iowa State Extension and Outreach- Linn County, Bug Camp – Iowa State Extension and Outreach- Linn County, Turtle Club Daycare and, The Mississippi Valley Fair – Scott County

For more information on our services and other educational agricultural resources, please visit our website at www.linncoag.com or visit our Facebook page under Linn County Education Outreach.