By Andi Anderson
The Iowa Agriculture Literacy Foundation awarded 118 Agriculture in the Classroom Teacher Supplement Grants to educators across Iowa, supporting its mission to strengthen agricultural literacy through hands-on learning.
The grants reached teachers in 50 Iowa counties, showing a broad commitment to agriculture education across the state.
Each grant provided up to 200 dollars per project to support new or expanded classroom and after school initiatives. These projects helped students better understand food systems, farming practices, and natural resources.
Grant funded activities included innovative lessons, instructional materials, guest speakers, field trips, and real-world learning experiences that connected agriculture to daily life.
The grant distribution reflected growing interest in agricultural education. Forty nine educators received IALF funding for the first time, highlighting how the program expanded access and welcomed new teachers into agriculture-focused learning.
Projects were designed to align with academic standards while making agriculture engaging and relevant for students.
At Prairie Point Middle School in Cedar Rapids, students explored greenhouse systems through science and literacy lessons. “Because of this grant, students will be able to study plant care and environmental systems, then apply their learning by cultivating plants in the school greenhouse,” said Josh Divoky, 8th grade teacher.
IALF Executive Director Kelly Foss emphasized the educational value of the projects. “These grants reflect the strength of agriculture as a real-world context for learning,” Foss said. “Through this IALF ag literacy initiative, teachers are helping students connect science, math, language arts, nutrition, and career exploration to Iowa agriculture, while building the knowledge they need to be informed citizens and future leaders.”
Projects funded during the spring introduced students to many agricultural topics. These included farm robotics, nutrition education, crop and animal lifecycles, pollinators, renewable energy, aquaponics, agricultural history, farm to fork learning, and egg hatching.
IALF’s efforts were supported by partners such as the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation. “The Iowa Farm Bureau Federation is proud to support educators as they help students build a deeper, more practical understanding of agriculture through classroom instruction,” said Ronnette Vondrak, IFBF Community Relations manager. “Agricultural literacy plays a vital role in helping students understand agriculture’s impact on their communities, our state, and the world.”
At Albia Community Schools, students explored Iowa agriculture through cooking labs and local ingredients. “Our Taste of Iowa: Farm to Family project will help students connect classroom learning to real-world agriculture and community engagement,” said Katelyn Weaver, Family Consumer Sciences teacher.
Photo Credit: gettyimages-zoran-zeremski
Categories: Iowa, Education