Local Teachers attend Two-Day Ag Workshop

On July 14 and 15, 2021 fifteen local teachers participated in Growing STEM on Iowa Farms, a two-day workshop held in Independence, Iowa. The theme, technology on small and large farms, was explored through engaging tours and interactive speakers/lesson ideas.

On day one participants toured Lindsay’s Dairy, a modern Holstein Dairy Farm, Grimm’s Peony Farm, Hillside Partners, and the Wapsi Mill.

One teacher expressed her interest in the diversity of ag, “I appreciate the representation of all types of ag during the two days. It was great to see a broad scope of the agriculture in our state.”

Day two was all about connecting what we learned during the tours to real-life application in the classroom. Denise Schwab presented on the STEM principles she uses daily in her position as beef specialist. Ryan Gibbs discussed the use of drones in agriculture and and demonstrated how he uses the technology to spray, spread cover crop seeds, and crop scout. Iowa Agriculture Literacy Foundation and local ag in the classroom coordinators helped bridge the gap between agriculture and the classroom with fun hands-on activities.

Growing STEM on Iowa Farms was made possible through a partnership between Iowa Agriculture Literacy Foundation, Linn County Farm Bureau, Delaware County Farm Bureau, Buchanan County Farm Bureau and supporting sponsors. For more information about upcoming workshops, email Morgan at mhibbs@ifbf.org.