Fulton County Farm Bureau

Ag in the Classroom

Fulton County Ag in the Classroom

Fulton County is a largely rural county. Our largest city, Canton, has a population of about 15,000. Approximately 1.6% of the county’s population is made up of farmers. Although many of the careers in Fulton County are agriculture-related, much of our population is unaware of the impact that agriculture has on their lives.

Fulton County Ag in the Classroom (FCAITC) is taking steps to make our population more knowledgeable about agriculture as a basic, but often overlooked, part of all of our lives. Our goal is to assist both children and adults in becoming better-informed citizens and consumers.

FCAITC’s sponsoring agency is Fulton County Farm Bureau. A part time coordinator staffs FCAITC. We also have 13 volunteers that have helped with programs when needed. We are actively involved in all eight of the public school districts in Fulton County. During the 2004-05 school year, 3206 of the 6668 students in these schools (48%) received presentations and/or materials from FCAITC.

Two hundred five students received monthly presentations during the school year. An additional 92 students received 4 presentations. Our ag literacy coordinator conducted 4 teacher workshops, 3 within our county and one at the Illinois Science Teachers Conference. We also distributed materials and/or provided presentations at area fairs, festivals, and outreach programs.

An Advisory Board, consisting of six members, meets quarterly to review FCAITC and make recommendations. The members of the Advisory Board include a representative from Fulton County Farm Bureau and other local people who are actively involved in agriculture and/or education. Funding for FCAITC comes from Partners for Agricultural Literacy, Fulton County Farm Bureau, and our ever-uincreasing list of additional donors.

Our Ag. Literacy Coordinator Tonya Holt is available to conduct a wide variety of Ag In The Classroom programs for K-12 classes and adults as well. Please call her at 547-3011 or e-mail her at fcfb@sybertech.net for more information or to schedule a program.