By Andi Anderson
The Iowa Agriculture Literacy Foundation launched Read Across Iowa, a statewide program that helped educators, connect, reading with real-world agriculture learning.
Iowa teachers were invited to sign up for free classroom kits designed to integrate agriculture into reading, science, social studies, and math lessons.
The program began on March 1 and provided a full month of standards aligned agriculture literacy activities. Iowa classrooms received professionally published agriculture themed books and ready to use lessons that fit easily into core subjects.
The program was designed for accessibility, allowing educators with no agriculture background to participate confidently.
IALF distributed 1,000 free Read Across Iowa kits to classrooms and education programs across the state. These kits were offered through an online signup and were available while supplies lasted.
Each kit supported hands on learning and helped students understand how agriculture connected to their daily lives.
“Read Across Iowa makes it easy for educators to bring agriculture into everyday classroom learning,” said Kelly Foss, Executive Director of the Iowa Agriculture Literacy Foundation. “The books and lessons connect naturally to reading, science, social studies, and math, helping students see how agriculture fits into the world they experience every day.”
The 2026 program theme was Pollinators to Product. This theme explored how pollinators supported agriculture and how their work connected to food, fiber, and everyday products students used.
Kits included books such as My Family’s Soybean Farm, Flower Talk, The Beeman, From Seed to Plant, Wax to Crayon, and Bailey the Bee. Additional materials included lesson ideas, seeds, soybean crayons, and classroom extensions.
Educators who did not receive a kit could still participate through weekly emails that shared digital books and classroom activities. “Our goal is to help educators seamlessly integrate agriculture literacy while fostering STEM learning and environmental awareness,” Foss said. “Whether teachers receive a kit or use our digital resources, they’ll find meaningful ways to connect students with agriculture.”
Read Across Iowa reached both rural and urban schools statewide. In 2025, the program reached all 99 Iowa counties and supported thousands of students and educators. “Iowa students are naturally curious about where their food comes from,” said Dr. Sara Nelson, 4-H STEM specialist and director of the Iowa Space Grant Consortium. “Read Across Iowa uses meaningful stories to create authentic agricultural learning experiences.”
The program remained a key part of IALF’s year-round education efforts supporting agriculture literacy in Iowa classrooms.
Photo Credit: gettyimages-lisegagne
Categories: Iowa, Education