Kansas Foundation for Ag in the Classroom

AnnualReport

2011

KFAC Advocate Challenge Donors

Agriculture Advocate$10,000 and over

Frontier Ag Inc, Oakley

Standard of Excellence$5,000 to 9,999

Cargill Corporate, Fargo, NDFarmway Coop, Inc., BeloitICM, Inc., ColwichMid Kansas Cooperative Association, MoundridgePoet Ethanol Products, Wichita

Benchmark$3,000 to 4,999

Midway Coop Association, Inc., OsborneTwin Rivers - Cargill, Overland Park

Loyalty Under $1,000

Literacy Link$1,000 to 1,999

Classroom Connection$2,000 to 2,999

CoBank, Greenwood Village, COFrisbie Construction Co., Inc., GypsumKansas Ethanol, LLC, LyonsPrairieLand Partners, Inc., HutchinsonSkyland Grain LLC, JohnsonSouthern Plains Coop, LewisWichita Cargill Cares Council, Wichita

AgMark, LLC, BeloitCHS Foundation, Inver Grove Heights, MNFirst National Bank of Hutchinson, HutchinsonJade Millwrights, Inc., HiawathaValley Coop, Inc., Winfield

Cargill Cares - Dodge City, Dodge CityCargill Cares - Topeka Flour, TopekaFairbank Equipment, Inc., WichitaHutchinson FSG - Cargill, HutchinsonMidwest Laboratories, Omaha, NEWhite Commercial Corporation, Stuart, FL

Challenge dollars are used to maintain current educational resources. In addition, a portion of these donations will be used to provide new delivery methods and lesson plans for Kansas youth.

Grain Commission SupportMany agricultural commissions in Kansas contribute time, money and support to KFAC.

Kansas Grain Sorghum Commission

Kansas Wheat

Kansas Corn Commission

Kansas Soybean Commission

Table of Contents2 Letter from Board Chair and Executive Director

3 2011 in Review

4 Teacher of the Year

5 Golden Apple award

6-7 Operating Report

8 Activities Map

9 2012 Budget

Be Ag-Wise Workshop in Emporia

Cargill assembly at Central

Elementary in Olathe

Manhattan summer course

Wichita summer course

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Executive Director &Board Chair Message

What a year we have had at Kansas Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom (KFAC). It’s been a great lead-in to our 30th anniversary, which we will begin to celebrate next fall. We are so thankful to all our supporters for providing the funding and in-kind services to carry our mission forward.

It was excellent to have 30 teachers attend our summer courses. Many confirmed that the classes re-energized them in their teaching. They all were pleased with the resources they were able to take back to their students. Many were surprised how easy it is to use agriculture as a tool to apply learning principles in core subjects of math, science, reading and social studies. KFAC was a major beneficiary of the lesson plans created by the teachers as a part of their coursework. The lessons are being formatted and will soon be available on the KFAC website.

As part of our ongoing efforts to keep our resource materials relevant, we are updating our plants educator guide, offering new chapters about agriculture machinery and specialty crops, with an expected release date in spring 2012. We are also updating our lesson plans to link them to Kansas grade-level educational standards that elementary teachers are required to teach. We are working to re-index lesson plans on our website so they are more user-friendly to teachers.

Technology has allowed us to be more accessible to both teachers and supporters of our mission. We are continually improving how we use our website, the Internet and social media to make resources available to the classroom. We will

also be using technology to offer more convenient customer service with a PayPal option for Agri-tag and other donor contributions.

We continue to make face-to-face connections. This coming spring in cooperation with Cargill Cares groups, we will be facilitating 30 assemblies in schools in Johnson County and 30 assemblies in Sedgwick County, reaching elementary teachers and their students in 20 urban schools. Many other classrooms are being reached through a cooperative workshop program with Kansas Farm Bureau that provides teachers and volunteer presenters with lesson plans they can share with students.

As we work to bring agriculture information to the classroom, we appreciate each and every one of the individuals and groups who provide financial support in challenging economic times. KFAC has experienced the same cutbacks and funding challenges that many not-for-profit groups have faced in the past year. We hope that you will be able to support KFAC at funding levels equal to or greater than in the past as the KFAC board strives to manage our finances in the most cost-effective manner possible.

We know there is a lot of work to be done to educate elementary youth and their families about the importance of agriculture. With lesson plans connecting youth to animals and plants, they will experience a small taste of agriculture. As they care for plants and animals, they will become more aware of their connection to the human food chain as well as learning how to protect our natural resources so these products are available to us for years to come.

We can be most effective if we speak to students, teachers and their families in their language. In other words, look at things through their eyes. What is most important to them? Basic human needs are food, water, shelter and caring connections. Agriculture connects to humans by providing these needs. This is the message we need to convey.

As we begin a new year, we hope you resolve to tell the agriculture story and share your lives with others in an effort to create an environment of greater understanding. Tell a story, adopt a classroom, become pen pals with students, write a blog, share some pictures with descriptive labels, read a good book about agriculture, take some training to feel more confident in presenting to classrooms, listen to what is important to consumers…..advocate for agriculture!

Cathy Musick, Executive Director

Cindy Baldwin, Board Chair

2011 In Review

KFAC Vision“Agriculture in every classroom,

every day.”

KFAC Mission“Connecting classrooms to

Kansas agriculture.”

2011 Highlights• Eight Kansas primary school students were recognized for their Postcard Art Contest winning entries at the State Ag Day celebration, held at the State Capitol Building in Topeka. There were 1,646 entries.

• Theresa Farris, a teacher at Service Valley Charter Academy in Oswego, Kan., was named the KFAC 2011 Janet Sims Memorial Teacher of the Year and was one of six awarded the Excellence in Teaching About Agriculture Award during the National Ag in The Classroom Conference in June.

• The Foundation celebrated the year’s accomplishments with members and friends at the annual meeting, held in November in Great Bend, Kan.

• Kansas agricultural businesses helped KFAC raise funds to maintain current projects and create new delivery methods by participating in the 2011 Agricultural Advocate Challenge. These businesses are listed in the opening page of this annual report.

• Michael Holen, Dean of the College of Education, was awarded the Golden Apple award this year for his support of KFAC.

• The 2011 Be Ag-Wise workshops, sponsored by KFAC and Kansas Farm Bureau, had 74 participants. The theme for the workshops held in Manhattan, Emporia, Colby and Garden City was “Farmers and Rachers Care - Care and Respect Every Day.”

• There were 18 hands-on school assemblies in Johnson County, sponsored by Cargill Cares of Kansas City and Kansas Soybean Commission.

• In June, 24 teachers attended the week-long summer graduate course, “Connecting your classroom to Agriculture.”

• There were 10 teachers from the Wichita area who attended the “Lessons Learned in the Garden” one-day summer inservice training.

• Pre-Service training for student teachers at the K-State College of Education had 65 participants; Butler County Community College Student Teachers had 18, and Newman University in Wichita had 30 attendees.

• The crops educator guides and Kansas Kids Connection magazines reached nearly 24,725 students in Kansas.

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Teacher of the Year - Theresa Farris

Teach AgricultureTheresa Farris, Service Valley Charter Academy (Oswego, Kan.) kindergarten teacher, was named the Kansas Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom’s (KFAC) 2011 Janet Sims Memorial Teacher of the Year. She was honored at the annual State Ag Day celebration in March in Topeka. Farris was also named one of six recipients nationwide of the “Excellence in Teaching About Agriculture” award, sponsored by the USDA and National Agriculture in the Classroom Consortium in June.

Farris keeps her students busy with many projects, especially hands-on learning activities. Her students take care of the school’s chickens, plant a garden on school grounds, and learn about monarch butterfly conservation.

In addition to these projects, Farris employs several strategies to teach agriculture, including an inquiry-based learning approach. Farris’ students

conduct research that is driven by student questions that arise while learning a topic.

“One of our trips to the chicken coop brought with it a discussion about the fact that our chickens lay brown eggs,” says Farris. “One student made the comment that white eggs were better than brown eggs, so we created a case study to determine if we could taste the difference.”

Each spring, Kansas Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom (KFAC) recognizes one Kansas teacher who demonstrates a commitment to connecting his or her classroom to Kansas agriculture. Any K-12 teacher who is teaching in a certified school in Kansas, in a non-vocational agriculture classroom setting and who is integrating agricultural concepts into non-agricultural curricula is eligible for this award.

The Teacher of the Year Award has been a part of the Foundation for many years. In 2008, it was renamed in honor of Janet Sims who passed away from Lou Gehrig’s disease in June 2007. Janet served on the KFAC board of directors as an education committee member from November 2005 until her death. She also contributed tremendous support, leadership and – most importantly –a passion for youth education to the Foundation.

“I know my mother would have been humbled by this distinction and would have loved to sit down and discuss with the recipients their plans for teaching agriculture in their classrooms,” said Shera Sims, Janet Sims’ daughter.

KFAC is proud to honor Janet and her family by sponsoring the Janet Sims Memorial Teacher of the Year Award.

“It’s not teaching them (students) to be farmers necessarily, but it’s teaching them about agriculture.”

- Theresa Farris

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Golden Apple Award - Michael Holen

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The Kansas Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom (KFAC) presented Michael Holen, Dean of the College of Education, with the Golden Apple award.

This award is only given to individuals who have gone above and beyond the call of duty to help KFAC meet its mission of connecting Kansas classrooms with agriculture. The dedication of these individuals to KFAC’s mission is remarkable.

Dean Holen has been a steady, dependable supporter of the KFAC program. As Dean of the College of Education at Kansas State University, he has been instrumental in fulfilling the memorandum of understanding between the college and KFAC. The memorandum allows KFAC to provide its staff with benefits offered to state employees. The Foundation is listed as a sponsored program through the College of Education.

Holen has provided office space for KFAC in Bluemont Hall for many years. He also has been supportive of staff time donated to KFAC projects by College od Education staff members Barb Havlicek, who advises the KFAC board, and Kathy Quigley and Mary Hammel, who have provided

support services. Recently, Holen announced he is moving to the School of Leadership Studies, where he will continue to oversee the Midwest Equity Center, the National Academic Advising Executive Offices and the Office of Educational Innovation and Evaluation. At the end of the 2011-12 academic year, Holen will enter phased retirement.

“Dean Holen has been very supportive in helping us find funding over the years,” said Cathy Musick, executive

director for KFAC. “We wish him the best in his retirement. It’s been great to have a Dean who has an agriculture background.”

Musick presented Holen with the Golden Apple award on Nov. 8, 2011.

“I am very honored by this award because I know the time and energy the Foundation’s board members give to this program, so I know there are a lot of deserving people,” Holen said. “Clearly for the state of Kansas, having a broad awareness of the importance of agriculture to our economy, lifestyle and values is crucial. Kansas State University is the right place to be the home of this effort. I appreciate what KFAC has done to make education better for the children of Kansas.”

“I appreciate what KFAC has done to make education better for the children of Kansas” - Dean Holen

Cathy Musick, executive director for Kansas Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom presents the Golden Apple to Dean Michael Holen.

Operating Report

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This operating report highlights the goals set by the Kansas Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom (KFAC). Each goal represents the Foundation’s efforts to reach its mission of connecting classrooms to Kansas agriculture.

Provide educational opportunities for our teachers and studentsEach summer, elementary teachers have the opportunity to earn three graduate hours while learning about agriculture. Teachers also learn to use agriculture as a teaching tool to reach educational standards in core curriculum such as math, language arts, social studies and science. Teachers also are introduced to the wide variety of agricultural careers available to their students. In June,

24 teachers attended the week-long summer graduate course, “Connecting Your Classroom to Agriculture.”

During their week on Kansas State University’s campus, teachers learn the basics of agronomy, milling science and food science. They also discuss how biotechnology has changed agriculture and learn best management practices for conserving our natural resources of soil and water. Hands-on learning labs allow teachers to practice lesson plans that can be taken directly back to their students. Tours of agri-business and

presentations by speakers bring “real” agriculture to participating teachers. Teachers produce three lesson plans aligned to state education standards as a part of their coursework. These lessons are compiled and placed on the KFAC website so other teachers can benefit from them.

A one-day course is also offered to teachers on a specific topic. The one-day summer short course is offered

for professional development. This past summer, 10 participants from the Wichita area attended a course called “Lessons Learned in the Garden.” They learned about plant growth and development for both horticulture crops and agriculture crops.

Cargill Cares of Wichita and Cargill Cares of Kansas City sponsor assembly programs to urban schools. The assemblies focus on farm animals, crops and plants, and natural resources. The Kansas Soybean Commission contributes to the assemblies by paying for the mileage costs of the assembly presenter. Assemblies this past year reached over 1,700 students and 94 teachers in urban schools.

The Be Ag-Wise workshops, a joint partnership between Kansas Farm Bureau and KFAC, provide professional development for teachers who want lesson plans about agriculture to take into the classroom. Workshops are held on Saturdays in January to March at five locations in Kansas. The 2011 Be Ag-Wise workshops had 74 participants. The theme for the workshops held in Manhattan, Emporia, Colby and Garden City was “Farmers and Ranchers Care - Care and Respect Every Day.”

KFAC provided short training sessions with student teachers from Butler County Community College, Newman University and Kansas State University. Students experienced several lesson plans and received a CD with numerous lesson plans they can introduce to their classrooms while on block training. Pre-Service training for student teachers at the K-State College of Education had 65 participants. Butler County Community College had 18; and 30 participants attended the Wichita training.

Cathy Musick, KFAC executive director, shows students at Lincoln Elementary in Lincoln, Kan., the agricultural products that make up a pizza at the Agriland Pizza Party.

A student identifies parts of a soybean plant at the Butler County Water Festival.

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The Foundation is updating its plants educator guide, offering new chapters about agriculture machinery and specialty crops. It will be ready for teachers in spring 2012.

Grow the financial resources to fulfill our missionIn October, the Foundation kicked off the 2011-2012 Agriculture Advocate Challenge. The challenge is designed to raise funds for agriculture literacy programs targeted for Kansas students, their teachers and their families. Kansas businesses with agriculture connections were asked to participate in the challenge by making a donation to KFAC. The money raised is used to maintain educational resources and create new delivery methods provided by KFAC. We appreciate the support from Kansas agriculture businesses.

The specialty crops block grant awarded by the Kansas Department of Agriculture will be in effect until October 2012. This grant will help fund teacher-produced lesson plans, both written and video versions. The grant will also pay for the creation of the graphic design elements for the specialty crops unit in the newly revised Exploring Plants: Kansas Crops Educator’s Guide. The guide will be released in early 2012.

The Agri-Tag program continues to be successful. There are currently over 775 agriculture specialty license plates on the road in Kansas. KFAC memberships for the year reached 191. The donations from both projects are used

to maintain KFAC educational materials and other resources.

Increase the visibility of KFACThe Foundation was present at several events this year: Women Managing the Farm Conference, Kansas Association of Conservation and Environmental Education (KACEE) teacher in-service event, Kansas State University’s Kiddy Barnyard, Kansas Association of Teachers of Sciences (KATS) Kamp, Agronomy Department’s Willie and the Beanstalk Competition at KSU’s Open House, Science Pioneers, Teacher Resource Day, When Pigs Fly BBQ Contest and Fly In, Butler County Community College pre-service student/teacher training event, KSU College of Education Symposium, Kansas State Fair Agriland and various county agriculture days and water festivals. At these events, KFAC promotional materials and resources were available for interested attendees.

The Foundation introduced its Facebook page to you last year. This year, we have implemented a YouTube site as well as a Twitter account. You can find these sites on the back cover of this annual report. These social media avenues will connect teachers, education volunteers, members and others to KFAC news, events and resources.

Cultivate Advocates for KFACEvery year, KFAC celebrates Kansas agriculture by facilitating a postcard art contest for elementary students. With the theme, “150 Years of Agriculture,” KFAC committee members and art professors at Kansas State University reviewed 1,646 entries. Eight Kansas primary school students were recognized for their postcard art contest winning entries at the State Ag Day celebration, held at the State Capitol Building in Topeka.

KFAC Teacher of the Year, Theresa Farris was also recognized at the National Agriculture in the Classroom Conference in June. Farris is a teacher at Service Valley Charter Academy in Oswego, Kan.

KFAC also recognized a long-time supporter of the Foundation with a Golden Apple award. Dr. Michael Holen, Dean of the College of Education was given a Golden Apple to thank him for his continued support of the Foundation.Geary County Ag Days - Power of the Prairie

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Activities Map

2011 Postcard Art winner, Kayla LeDuc from Holton, Kan.

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2012 BudgetJanuary through December, 2012Approved on Nov. 15, 2011 by Board of Directors

Ordinary Income/ExpenseIncome Grants General Grants 27,500 Crop Commission Grant 67,500 Programs Summer Graduate Course 40,000 Other presentations 1,000 Donations Agricultural Advocate Funding Challenge 50,000 General (Agri-tag, other) 30,000 Membership 3,000 Publication Sales 800 Miscellaneous Income 500 Transfer Income 16,500Total Income $236,800

Expense Payroll Expenses Administration (2 positions plus benefits) 142,525 Catalyst Professional Services 7,500 Student Assistant 6,000 Office Copy/Print 24,000 Automotive (Taxes, Insurance, Tags) 5,450 Travel 1,000 Postage 2,500 Office Supplies 3,500 Accounting, Audit and 990 Preparation 3,300 Rentals 850 Professional Development 1,000 Phone 1,500 Promotions/Fundraising 1,000 Equipment Purchase 500 Reference Materials 250 Equipment Repair 500 Summer Graduate Course 30,000 Presentation and Education Supplies 2,500 Bond Insurance 900 Agriland 825 Assembly Program Travel 600 KSU Parking Permits (for teachers and volunteers) 500 Board Meetings 100Total Expense $236,800

Net Ordinary Income $0

Net Income $0

“The Board of Directors

has approved a budget

for 2012 that will

continue to provide

quality education

programs and resources

across the State of

Kansas. The Board

truly appreciates

all the support the

donors have given the

Foundation in providing

these agriculture-based

educational programs.” - Jim Weaver,

Board Treasurer

2012 Board of Directors Mary Anne Stoskopf - Chair, Hoisington Bill Wood - Chair-Elect, Eudora Jim Adams - Secretary, Manhattan Jim Weaver - Treasurer, Manhattan Cindy Baldwin - Past Chair, McPherson Roberta Spencer - Circleville Trent Winter - Clifton John Bacon - Olathe Jessica Baetz Caylor - Smith Center Dr. Hallie Hasel, DVM - Leoti Amy Langvardt - Alta Vista Holly Martin - Bucklin Joanne Pridey - Salina Bill Spiegel - Manhattan Becky Sullivan - KS Dept. of Agriculture, Topeka Kathy Martin - State Board of Education, Topeka Dr. Don Boggs - KSU College of Agriculture, Manhattan Barb Havlicek - KSU College of Education,

Manhattan

Staff Cathy Musick - Executive Director Sheridan Wimmer - Program Assistant Tiffany Poet - Student Assistant Keelie Curran - Student Assistant

KFAC KSU College of Education 124 Bluemont Hall 1100 Mid-Campus Drive Manhattan, KS 66506

785-532-7946 ksfac@ksu.edu

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