W A S H I N G T O NAG CLASSROOMin

the Ag School Volume 9, Issue 1 2009/2010@ TEACHER GUIDE

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Vocabulary Words• Each issue will introduce several words or word

combinations that may be unfamiliar to students. These will appear in bold type the first time they are used.

• Words in this issue include: yields per acre, irrigation, Pacific Rim, precipitation, latitude, renewable energy, fossil fuels, chlorophyll, photosynthesis, tubers, botanist, horticulture, perennials and annuals. Definitions are included in a reproducible student activity in the teacher guide and a crossword puzzle in the student magazine.

Cover – Agriculture Is: Your Food and MoreBackground:Washington is full of agriculture. It is everywhere! Yet, agriculture is different in each part of the state due to our diverse geography and climate. Agriculture is much more than farming. The industry includes producing raw products, transforming them into things people use, distributing them around the state, nation, and world, and marketing them to consumers. These steps employ thousands of people in hundreds of different jobs.

Discussion starters:1. Which of the crops or products around the edges of

the cover have you seen growing? What crops and animals are raised where you live?

2. How does your county rank in ag value and food processing value? Go to the Washington Dept. of Ag website to download useful maps for the answers: www.agr.wa.gov/AboutWSDA/FoodCropMaps.htm Teachers might also want to view the WSDA video “Our Farms to Your Table”.

Land Ho!Washington has 43,608,960 acres. We use the land in many different ways.

5% urban, developed, and misc.18% cropland17% pasture and rangeland29% forest2% inland water areas29% Federal and Native American land

Have students make a pie chart and see how the slices add up!

Washington’s 33,000 farms cover 15,100,000 acres (about 35% of the total 43,608,960 acres in the state). Farms include cropland, pasture, and some timber.

(an acre is 43,560 sq. ft.; about the size of a football field)

Take a hike in your school yard and have students measure the area (length times width); is it an acre?

Welcome to Ag@School!Class sets of this magazine, aimed primarily at 4th

grade level, are FREE to subscribing Washington teachers. Instructions for subscribing are on page 6. Limited numbers of back issues are still available.

This is the first of three issues for 2009-2010. Delivery of the next two issues will be early January and mid-March.

Produced by Washington Ag in the Classroom, Ag@School is designed to help teachers meet student educational goals as well as develop agricultural literacy. The teacher guide connects activities to specific EALR’s that will help your students meet state requirements.This issue is designed to help students understand:• The economic importance and diversity of

Washington agriculture• The importance of agriculture to their lives• Washington geography and climate and how these

influence agriculture• The benefits of dams and how locks enable river

transportation• Life on earth depends on plants

Reproducible activities in the teacher guide expand on concepts covered in the magazine: Included in the guide are a vocabulary activity and a shopping activity to engage students in food choices and learn where their food dollars go.

Why Agricultural Literacy?Agriculture is society’s lifeline and an integral part of

our heritage. Unfortunately as our country moved from agrarian to urban, people lost contact with the main industry necessary for survival—food production. America’s largest industry has dropped from public discourse except for the occasional media splash. Yet we all eat, and it is important that we have an under - standing of where our food is produced and who we depend upon to deliver it to our tables.

Less than 2% of the US population is involved in production agriculture (farming) yet 22 million American jobs are dependent upon it. Agriculture is more than working the land and tending the animals. This huge industry—production, processing, transportation, and marketing—generates billions of dollars each year. Agriculture is vital to national security, a stable economy, and the US trade balance.

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Pages 4/5 – Grown in WashingtonDiscussion starters:1. What geographical features make WA such a

diversified agricultural state? (Next to Pacific Ocean; deep-water ports in Puget Sound; Columbia River for navigation, irrigation and power generation; Cascades split state; volcanoes have provided the rich ash component of our soils; elevation goes from sea level to the top of Mt. Rainier)

2. Discuss individual growing regions and what factors make each an ideal place to grow specific crops or products (have students refer to the boxes on pages 4-5)

3. Four regions produce crops that were not always considered part of agriculture: timber from the Olympic Peninsula, Cascades and Okanogan Highlands; and Christmas trees from the Willapa Hills region. Discuss how forests are a renewable resource.

Note: The two foods whose only purpose is being a food are milk and honey.

Page 6 – Rivers, Dams and LocksBackground:1. Rock Island dam was the first large dam on the

Columbia (1933). Bonneville Dam was second, built in 1938 for electricity generation. Grand Coulee was authorized as one of the many projects to put men back to work after the depression and was built to supply irrigation water for the Columbia Basin Project, using the sale of electricity generated by the dam to pay for the construction of the dam and the irrigation delivery system. In 1948 the Snake and Columbia Rivers crested simultaneously and created a flood that wiped out a section of Portland. River-use planners turned their attention to flood control (as well as navigation and power generation) as the remaining dams were completed on the two rivers.

2. Deep water ports are those capable of handling a fully laden Panamax ship. That is a ship that is the maximum size that can still fit through the Panama Canal. As the Panama Canal undergoes its current expansion, the list of ports will change. It is also important that we dredge the Columbia River channel to keep the necessary depth clear for these huge ships to reach the largest Columbia ports. Other ports like Bellingham and Olympia are not equipped to handle Panamax ships. Bremerton is a large port for the US Navy.

3. Discuss the different ways people use and depend upon the Columbia and Snake Rivers (recreation, irrigation, water supply, power generation, flood control, wildlife habitat, transportation and commerce. Can the students think of more?)

Think & Discuss on page 6:Three renewable energy sources are solar power, wind power, and hydro-electric power.

Page 2 – Agriculture is EverywhereDiscussion starters:1. By-products from livestock include crayons, glue,

adhesive on band-aids, bone china, chewing gum, floor wax, pet foods, cosmetics, piano keys, candles, detergent, etc. Check out the website: www.telusplanet.net/public/jross/beefprod.htm

2. Pacific Rim refers to countries, states, or areas located on or near the rim of the Pacific Ocean; a location that is good for trade due to easy access to deep-water ports. Ports in Washington State are two days closer to Asia than ports in California. Washington ports also handle products from other Western States which do not lie on the Pacific Rim. Washington is the third largest agricultural exporter in the nation. About one-third of Washington’s ag commodities are exported with about 75% of the commodities going to Asia.

What a Plant Needs to Grow :1. Have students find out what the annual precipitation

is in their area. When does most of the precipitation come? As winter snow, or summer rain?

2. What other factors might influence which crops a farmer chooses to grow? Does he have access to irrigation? Is his land hilly? Rocky? Sandy? Does the crop require lots of hand labor or really big expensive machines for harvest?

3. What crops do we NOT grow in Washington? Citrus and tropical fruits, coffee, tea, to name a few. Any plant that needs a tropical rather than a temperate climate will not grow here.

Page 3 – ClimateDiscussion starters:1. Why are different crops and animals raised in different

regions of Washington? (They all have unique requirements for climate, rainfall, terrain, and soil to thrive)

2. What is meant by a “rain shadow”? (as clouds rise they lose moisture causing a dry region east of the Cascades) How does it affect the types of crops grown east of the Cascades? (With irrigation, anything can be grown, without irrigation farmers are limited to grain, grass seed, legumes, and some oil seed crops) Using the precipitation map, have students find rain shadow areas caused by the Olympic Mountains.

3. Track the fruit growing areas in Washington. They follow the banks of major rivers and lakes and the Columbia Basin irrigation project. There is enough water in these areas to make “micro-climates” that are warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer.

Answers to Crossword on page 3:1. desert 2. Steppe 3. weather 4. Maritime 5. precipitation 6. temperate

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Page 8 – Wanted – Your Art WorkAttention Teachers: You can meet some of OSPI’s requirements for yearly accountability in social studies, and the arts as outlined in RCW 28A.230.095 by encouraging your students to enter our Art Contest. After reading Ag@School have your students do an art project by drawing and coloring an 18 X 24 picture about what they learned from these articles.Winning art will appear in future issues of Ag@School. Your class could win a prize. Visit our website for the complete rules at www.waic.net.

EALR ConnectionsSocial Studies, EALR 2 Economics:

2.2.1 pages 1,2,3,4,5,62.2.2 pages 2,62.4.1 pages 3,4,5,6

Social Studies, EALR 3 Geography:3.1.1 page 63.1.2 pages 3,4,5,63.3.1 pages 3,4,5,6

Reading:The articles and activities throughout the magazine link

to most reading standards. They can be used to build skills in outlining, vocabulary, comprehending important ideas, reading factual material, or reading to learn new informa-tion.

Writing:The post test is designed to help prepare students to

write. The prompts include the four modes of writing: ex-pository, narrative, descriptive and persuasive.

Communication:2.3.1 Discussion starters TG

Mathematics:1.1.2 TG page 5 1.1.6 TG pages 3,51.2.4 TG page 21.4.5 TG page 44.2.2 TG pages 1,45.3.1 TG page 5

Science:1.1.4 pages 2, TG page 31.2.2 pages 2, TG page 31.3.8 page 2

Learn More About Agriculturewww.teachfree.com/downChooseWellActivities.aspx - Free math/nutrition activities for 4th/5th grade; addresses impor-tance of choosing nutrient rich foods first and techniques for visualizing appropriate portion sizes and physical activity.www.nass.usda.gov/wa/ - WA State agricultural statistics

Publication and CreditsAg@School is a publication of Washington Agriculture in the

Classroom, a non-profit entity created in 1981 to encourage and help teachers increase agricultural literacy in their students. Both public and private groups including the WA Dept. of Agriculture, WSU, commodity commissions, farm organizations, agribusi - nesses and individuals, support the mission. Teachers may reproduce any pages for use.

Graphic design is by Mike Hendricks, Hendricks Design.Edited by Robyn Meenach.

Discussion starters:Hydroelectric power is the most reliable because

water behind the dams can be released through the generators at any time to supply electricity. If the sun is not shining or the wind is not blowing, solar and wind energy do not produce electricity. In fact, hydroelectric power is called upon to deliver electricity when these other power sources wane.

Fossil fuels are sources of energy derived from plants and animals that lived long ago, such as coal, oil, and natural gas. They are carbon based and release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere when burned. Our clean, renewable hydropower keeps the Northwest’s carbon footprint at half that of the rest of the nation. Removal of the Snake River dams would add 5.4 million tons of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere each year. Replacing the energy capacity lost by Snake River dam removal would take at least three nuclear power plants or six coal-fired or fourteen natural gas-fired plants.

It would also take an additional 120,000 rail cars or more than 700,000 semi-trucks annually to move the cargo that now travels by barge on the Snake-Columbia river system. That traffic would stress already overtaxed bridges and highways. 1 60,000 ton Panamax ship = 17 barges = 600 rail cars = 2400 semi-trucksProblem:Using the information above, how many barges are used to move 9 million tons of grain? (Answer: 9,000,000 tons divided by 60,000 tons/ship X 17 barges/ship = 2550 barges.)

Per ton-mile, barges use 40% of the fuel required for rail and an astonishing 11% of what is needed for trucks. The river system transports $16 billion in cargo annually.

Sensible solutions have been found and implemented to benefit fish and yet protect the value of the Columbia-Snake River system to Northwest families and businesses. Additional hydropower generation would seem to be logical.More info at: www.nwriverpartners.org/issues-river-benefits

Page 7 – Life on Earth Depends on PlantsEmphasize the three key points at the top of the page.

Students should also be reminded that animals consume many of the by-products of food processing such as peels and waste potatoes, apples, and carrots. They also consume meal made from soybeans and canola after the oil is squeezed out for human use.

Grains like wheat and corn can be made into flakes or ground for flour and starch. Corn when consumed before the seeds are mature is classed as a vegetable, but is considered a grain when mature.

Answers to Fruit or Vegetable on page 8:Rhubarb is grown commercially west of Cascade

Mountains to take advantage of cooler climate.Blueberries 1000 hours divided by 12 hours/day = 83.3

days

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WE ARE #1

Washington leads the nation in the production of several crops. Make a bar graph using these facts.

92% Red Raspberries77% Hops75% Spearmint57% Apples51% Cherries46% Concord Grapes46% Pears41% Peppermint38% Prunes and Plums27% Niagra Grapes

Niagra Grapes(green grapes)

RaspberriesConcord Grapes(green grapes)

Cherries

Hop Cone

Make Your Own Bar Graph:

Interesting Agricultural Facts to Remember:Fill in the blanks below, referring back to the magazine if necessary.

1. What is our nation’s largest industry? _________________________

2. The Columbia Basin has a desert climate, but is the most productive ag area because of _________________________ .

3. What two things work together to make a water stairway in the Columbia and Snake Rivers? ____________________________ and __________________________

4. Name the four fruits native to America that are raised commercially in Washington. ___________________ ________________ _________________ __________________

5. In a process called ________________________ , the green colored material in plant leaves called ___________________________________ uses light, air, and water to make sugars and starches.

6. To choose crops, a farmer must know the length of time that the temperature in his area is above freezing; this is called (3 words) ______________ _____________ ________________

7. Make the seven growing regions in Washington State 1 _________________________________2 ____________________________ 3 _____________________________4 _______________________5 ____________________________ 6 _____________________________7 _______________________

ATTENTION TEACHERS… Answers for teachers: (cut off before copying for students)1. agriculture 2. irrigation 3. Locks, Dams 4. blueberries, blackberries, Concord grapes, and cranberries 5. photosynthesis, chlorophyll 6. frost free days 7. Olympic Peninsula, Puget Sound Lowlands, Willapa Hills, Cascade Mountains, Okanogan Highlands, Columbia Basin, Blue Mountains

RED RASPBERRIESHOPS

SPEARMINT

APPLES

CHERRIES

CONCORD GRAPESPEARS

PEPPERMINT

PRUNES AND PLUMS

NIAGRA GRAPES

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1. renewable energy

2. tubers

3. irrigation

4. latitude

5. botanist

6. Pacific Rim

7. perennials

8. horticulture

9. yields per acre

_____ countries, states or areas located around the edges of the Pacific Ocean; a location good for trade due to easy access to ports

_____ the amount of crop or commodity produced on one acre of land

_____ short, fleshy underground stems of plants (like potatoes or yams)

_____ a plant that lives for more than 2 years, (makes seed the 1st year)

_____ water applied to crops in addition to natural precipitation. Water is usually pumped from rivers, lakes, or wells in the ground.

_____ the science of growing plants

_____ distance north or south from the earth’s equator, governing the angle of the sun’s rays, length of day, and even prevailing winds

_____ usable power that can be replaced by natural ecological cycles or sound management practices

_____ a scientist specializing in plant life

1. Pretend you take a drive across the state of Washington and pass through four different growing regions. Write a narrative about the agricultural production you might see as you cross the state.

2. Tell why weather and climate are important to farmers. For instance, which fruits can we raise in Washington, and which ones will not survive here?

3. What is your favorite food grown in Washington? Describe how it looks, smells, and tastes. What color and texture does it have?

4. Some people believe that the lock and dam system on the Snake and Columbia Rivers should be removed. Do you agree or disagree? Write to persuade a friend of your opinion. Give reasons to support your position.

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Your Food Comes From Agriculture…

With So Many Choices!

Is It a FruIt or a Vegetable?

This is a very confusing question, and the an-swer is, “it depends”. If you ask a botanist (a scientist who studies plants), a fruit is a mature plant ovary that contains seeds. To a botanist, apples, peaches, berries, peppers, tomatoes, pea pods, eggplant, and cucumbers, are all fruits of plants. A vegetable is simply part of a plant that is grown primarily for food. So, the leaf of spinach, the root of a carrot, the flower of broccoli, and the stalk of celery are all vegetables.

Horticultural (science of growing plants) defi-nitions describe fruits as usually growing on woody vines, canes, or trees and are perennial (plants that live and produce seeds for many years). Vegetables are usually annuals (plants that live for only one growing season).

To the chef, or even to the average person talking about food, a fruit is an edible plant part that is eaten as a dessert or snack because it is sweet, so in everyday, nonscientific speech we make the distinction between sweet plant parts (fruits) and non-sweet plant parts (veg-etables). So, even though melons are vege-tables, because they are sweet and appear in fruit salads, they qualify as a serving of fruit in your diet. Olives, avocados, and tomatoes are by definition fruits, but are usually served in a vegetable salad. Rhubarb is a vegetable (even though it is a perennial) that is combined with other fruits.

Rhubarb is a good example of a plant with an identity crisis! It is a perennial plant, but classified as a vegetable, and used as a fruit. It’s good for you! (high in calcium, vitamin C and fiber). Rhubarb loves being cool, even in places like Siberia and Alaska! It is a perennial plant that is very winter hardy and resistant to drought.

Rhubarb is produced from crowns consisting of fleshy rhizomes and buds. Temperatures below 40˚ F are required to stimulate spring growth, and summer temperatures averaging less than 75˚ F for vigorous vegetative growth. In the United States, commercial production is concentrated in Washington, Oregon, and Michigan.

Using what you have learned in this maga-zine, where do you suppose most of the rhu-barb is produced in Washington state?

Blueberries are one of the four fruits na-tive to North America. They were an important part of the Indians’ diet. Dried wild blueber-ries were added to stews and pounded into meat. Indian tribes shared dried berries with the Pilgrims to help them survive that harsh first winter in the new world.

Ninety-five percent of the world’s com-mercially produced blueberries are grown

in North America. Washington state produces 10.5% of the US supply. Harvest is both by hand and me-chanical picking. Most of the ma-

chine-harvested blueberries are frozen immediately for

use year round using a

process called IQF (individually quick frozen).

Cultivated blueberries need an acid soil and cool dormant periods (as much as 1000 hours a year below 45˚ F).

If the temperature drops below 45˚ F for 12 hours a day, how many calendar days are re-quired to meet the 1000 hours of dormancy?

People have been enjoying sweet, juicy blue-berries for centuries, not only for their great taste but also for the vitamin C and fiber they add to our diet. Blueberries rank among the highest of all fruits and vegetables in antioxi-dant activity. Antioxidants help protect the cells in our body from damage.

WANTEDYo u r A r t W o r kWhat did you learn about agriculture from this issue of Ag@School?Draw and color a picture (18x24) about agriculture in your county or Washington State.Send entries to: Gaynor Edwards443 Road T NEWarden, WA 98857By November 5, 2009

Winning artwork will be featured in the next issue.