reading takes you everywhere! - illinois aitc · oscar mayer is located in chicago, ... harvest...

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Activities to Complement:

2018 iREAD

Summer Reading Program

READING TAKES

YOU

EVERYWHERE!

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Table of Contents

Illinois Commodity Map ............................................................................................................................... 4

Leading Commodities ................................................................................................................................. 5

Journey Across Illinois .............................................................................................................................. 11

Where Does It Come From? .................................................................................................................... 13

Johnny Appleseed: Geography Adventure ................................................................................................ 31

How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World ......................................................................................... 33

What the World Eats ................................................................................................................................. 36

The Disappearing Corn Packing Peanut ................................................................................................... 40

Beanie Baby .............................................................................................................................................. 43

Wheat Grinding ......................................................................................................................................... 44

Where is My Milk From?............................................................................................................................ 45

Build a Calf ................................................................................................................................................ 47

Feed Sacks ............................................................................................................................................... 52

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Below you will find a map of Illinois with each county labeled. There are three icons per county which

represent three of their five top commodities. Use the key to identify what each icon represents. You will

then know your county’s top commodities. The following pages will show the top ten counties for Corn,

Soybeans, Winter Wheat, Beef Cattle, Hogs and Dairy Cattle. You will find more specific information about

each commodity on pages 5-10.

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2015 Illinois Leading Counties in Corn Production

County Bushels

McLean 63,148,000

Livingston 55,205,000

Champaign 53,210,000

Bureau 51,080,000

LaSalle 51,026,000

Lee 48,218,000

Henry 44,058,000

Ogle 43,672,000

Whiteside 42,236,000

Iroquois 41,870,000

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2015 Illinois Leading Counties in Soybean Production

County Bushels

McLean 19,341,000

Livingston 15,569,000

Champaign 16,036,000

Iroquois 14,247,000

LaSalle 13,999,000

Vermillion 13,096,000

Henry 10,321,000

Christian 10,231,000

Shelby 9,938,000

Bureau 9,657,000

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2015 Illinois Leading Counties in Winter Wheat Production

County Bushels

Washington 3,530,000

Randolph 2,392,000

Clinton 1,886,000

Monroe 1,815,000

St. Clair 1,648,000

Perry 1,625,000

Jackson 1,191,000

Madison 1,132,000

Franklin 1,090,000

White 820,000

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2016 Illinois Leading Counties in Number of Beef Cattle

County Number

Jo Daviess 17,800

Fulton 14,100

Adams 13,900

Hancock 11,500

Henry 9,300

Ogle 8,800

Macoupin 8,800

McDonough 7,900

Carroll 7,300

Greene 7,100

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County Number

Clinton 240,000

DeKalb 235,000

Henry 175,000

Livingston 170,000

Hancock 165,000

Knox 135,000

Pike 130,000

Whiteside 115,000

Jasper 110,000

Adams 98,000

2012 Illinois Leading Counties in Number of Hogs

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2016 Illinois Leading Counties in Number of Dairy Cattle

County Number

Clinton 13,800

Stephenson 12,400

Jo Daviess 7,900

Washington 7,100

Effingham 4,100

McLean 3,900

McHenry 3,100

Cumberland 2,600

Winnebago 2,300

Carroll 1,900

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Grade Levels: 3-5

Purpose: Students will have a better understanding of reading maps as well as the diversity of crops and livestock in Illinois.

Common Core State Standards: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.4.1; RI.4.7; RF.4.4; W.5.7

Illinois Social Science Standards: SS.G.1.3; SS.G.3.3; SS.G.1.4; SS.G.3.4; SS.G.2-4.5

Suggested Reading Materials:

IAITC Beef, Corn, Dairy, Pork, Wheat and Soybean Ag Mag

Illinois by Erik Bruun ISBN: 9781579121013

There’s a Map on My Lap by Tish Rabe ISBN: 0375810994

Materials Needed:

• Access to the Internet • Illinois Maps • Markers or Crayons

Procedure:

Using the Illinois county map on the next page, follow the directions below:

• Using blue markers or crayons, draw the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers on the map. These rivers are used to ship many agricultural products.

• Morton, Illinois, is the Pumpkin Capital of the World. Find the county where Morton is located and draw a pumpkin inside it.

• The Horseradish Capital of the World is Collinsville, Illinois. Find the county where Collinsville is located and color it gray.

• You can find one of the nation’s top bacon companies right here in Illinois. Oscar Mayer is located in Chicago, Illinois. Find the county where it’s located and draw a slice of bacon inside it.

• Bees are very helpful in the pollination of specialty crops. Sasse’s Apiary is located in Chestnut, Illinois. Find Logan County and color it black and yellow.

• Illinois grows more soybeans than most states, and Decatur is called “The Soybean Capital of the World.” Find Macon County and color it light green.

• Many consumers flock to Christmas tree farms to cut their own tree for the holidays. Richardson’s Christmas Trees is located in Spring Grove, Illinois. Find its county and color it dark green.

• The University of Illinois has one of the top ranked agriculture programs in the nation. Find Champaign County and color it orange.

• Corn is so important to McLean County agriculture that the baseball team, the “Normal CornBelters,” is named after it! Find McLean County and color it purple.

• Winter Wheat is grown mostly in Southern Illinois. In 2015, Washington County was the top county in production for Winter Wheat. Find Washington County and color it yellow.

• Clinton County had the highest number of Dairy Cattle in 2016. Find Clinton County and color it black and white.

• In 2016, Jo Daviess County had 17,800 Beef Cattle! Find Jo Daviess County on your map, and color it brown.

Journey Across Illinois

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Where Does It Come From?

Grade Levels: 3-5

Purpose: Students will explore the connection between geography, climate, and the type of agriculture in an area by reading background information and census data about the agricultural commodities beef, potatoes, apples, wheat, corn, and milk.

Common Core State Standards: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.4.1; RI.4.7; RF.4.4; W.5.7


Suggested Reading Materials, Links and Resources:

First Apple by Ching Yeung Russell ISBN: 978-1563972065

Harvest Year by Cris Peterson ISBN: 978-1590787830

If the World Were a Village by David J. Smith ISBN: 978-1554535958

The Scrambled States of America by Laurie Keller ISBN: 978-0805068313

There’s a Map on My Lap by Tish Rabe ISBN: 0375810994

Ag Census Web Maps https://www.agcensus.usda.gov/Publications/2012/Online_Resources/Ag_Census_Web_Maps/

My American Farm http://www.myamericanfarm.org/classroom/games

The Food Timeline http://www.foodtimeline.org/

Materials Needed:

• 5 small bags of corn chips (to represent corn)

• 5 small bags of potato chips (potatoes)

• 5 small individual containers of applesauce (apples)

• 5 small packages of beef jerky (beef)

• 5 small packages of pretzels (wheat)

• 5 small packages of string cheese (milk)

• Large paper bag

• Where Does it Come From? activity sheet, 1 per student *located on page 16

• Background Information and Data handouts (beef, potatoes, apples, wheat, corn, milk), 1 topic per group *located on pages 17-28

• United States Map, 1 per group *located on page 29

• Classroom map of the United States

• Colored map pins, 1 color per group

• Where Does It Come From? Answer key *located on page 30

https://www.agclassroom.org/teacher/matrix/resources.cfm?rid=661




https://www.agcensus.usda.gov/Publications/2012/Online_Resources/Ag_Census_Web_Maps/


http://www.myamericanfarm.org/classroom/games


http://www.foodtimeline.org/

https://naitc-api.usu.edu/media/uploads/2015/11/24/WhereDoesItComeFromactivitysheetKEY.pdf

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Words To Know:

bushel: A bushel is a unit of measurement used in U.S. agriculture that is equivalent to a volume of 64 pints, but is generally standardized by weight for different products; a bushel of wheat weighs 60 lbs, and a bushel of corn weighs 56 lbs.

by-product: A by-product is something produced in an industrial or biological process in addition to the principal product.

commodity: A commodity is a raw material or primary agricultural product that is bought and sold on a large scale.

data: Data is information in numerical form.

end product: The end product is the final product after processing that is sold to the consumer.

hundredweight (cwt): Hundredweight is a unit of weight equal to 100 pounds.

Interest Approach – Engagement:

1. Ask students to name their favorite foods. Write the foods on the board. 2. Next, ask students if they know what ingredients are used in these foods. Write the main ingredients

next to the foods they are found in. For example, if they list pizza as a favorite food, the ingredients would include flour, pizza sauce, cheese, pepperoni, etc.

3. Ask students: “What plants/animals do these ingredients come from?” (wheat, tomatoes, dairy cattle, hogs) “Where are they produced?” (on farms) “Are any of them grown in your state?” (answers will vary by state)

4. Explain that these ingredients are agricultural commodities. Inform students that they will be learning how geography and the production of their food is related.

Procedure:

1. Share the vocabulary words commodity, product, end product, and by-product. To illustrate, bring to class some examples of end products and the agricultural commodities from which they were made (e.g., cotton ball—or raw cotton boll, if available—and cotton shirt, dry beans and bean dip, tomato and tomato sauce, apple and apple cider). Ask students to differentiate between the commodity and the end product.

2. Place all the snacks in a large paper bag, and have students draw from the bag to determine which group they will work with. Explain that each snack represents a major agricultural commodity grown in the United States. Write the words corn, potatoes, apples, beef, wheat, and milk on the chalkboard. Lead a class discussion to help students determine which product each snack represents.

3. Give each student a copy of the Where Does it Come From? activity sheet, and ask them to answer the first three questions.

4. Give each group copies of the Background Information and Data handouts about the specific agricultural commodity the group will be studying and a copy of the map of the United States found on page 29.

5. Instruct students to read the background information and examine the data to answer the remaining questions on the activity sheet. Then they should locate the top five states where their snacks grow on their United States maps and color those states.

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6. Provide each group with a different color of map pins. Have each group report on its findings and mark on a classroom map the states where the designated food grows. Students should also report on the growing conditions necessary for each product.

7. Lead a discussion in which you ask students what factors determine what is grown in which states (climate, availability of land, transportation, storage capacities) and how much is produced (climate, size of state, soil type).

Lesson Extenders:

• Have students keep records for a week of what foods are served in the cafeteria. Have them re-search to find out what commodity ingredients are used in the foods. Use the data provided with this lesson to determine where the ingredients were most likely grown.

• Have students interview those responsible for buying the food used in the cafeteria and deter-mine how much, if any, local food is used in preparing meals.

• Have each student choose a favorite food and research the three main ingredients in the food and where the ingredients are produced.

• Have students stay in their groups and research the states in which their commodity is grown to find climate, population, other crops grown, etc. Then have each group choose a presentation meth-od to report their findings to the class—skits, posters, etc.

• If you have internet access for your students, have the groups explore the maps available for their commodity on the USDA Ag Census Web Maps. Encourage them to explore the different cate-gories.

Lesson Adapted from Utah Ag in the Classroom

http://www.agcensus.usda.gov/Publications/2012/Online_Resources/Ag_Census_Web_Maps/

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Where Does It Come From? Activity Sheet

1. My snack is _________________.

2. The main agricultural commodity used to make this snack is _________________.

3. Name some states where you think this commodity might be grown.

_________________ _________________ _________________

4. After reading the background information, make a check mark next to the growing condition that comes closest to

describing what your agricultural commodity needs.

Cool conditions.

Not too wet.

Sunny, mild days when in bloom; plenty of rain mid summer.

Sometimes raised on land that cannot be used for other purposes.

Plenty of pasture and plenty of water.

Plenty of water.

5. Look at the data provided for your commodity. Find the top five states where the main ingredient in your snack is

produced.

1. _________________ 2. __________________ 3. _________________

4. _________________ 5. __________________

6. Count the states listed: __________ Are all 50 states represented? yes no

7. Is the state where you live on the list? yes no

If so, write the number showing how much of this agricultural product was produced in 2016 in your state.

8. List some products this agricultural commodity is used to make.

_________________ _________________ _________________

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All About Beef!

We get meat from beef cattle and milk from dairy cattle. Although females from all cattle

breeds produce milk and meat, some cattle are better at giving milk, and some are better suited for

providing meat.

The first step in beef production is raising the calves that will become meat. In a cow/calf

operation, the farmer keeps cows for the calves that they will produce. After she is bred, the mother

cow carries the developing baby calf for 9 months. At birth, the average calf will weigh 60–100

pounds. Newborn calves grow by drinking milk from their mothers, and soon they begin eating green

grass from pastures. Calves are weaned off milk when they are six to ten months old and weigh

between 450 and 700 pounds. During the winter, beef cattle stay in feedlots and eat hay and grain.

When the calves are big enough (about 800 pounds), they are sold to feedlots where they are

fed a special diet to gain weight quickly. This is often called the finishing phase of beef production.

Most cattle spend four to six months in a feedlot before they reach market weight, which is typically

1200 to 1400 pounds, reached around 18 to 22 months of age.

From beef cattle, we get steaks, roasts and hamburgers. We also get by-products like leather

for shoes, belts, baseball gloves, and footballs. Gelatin in products such as ice cream and yogurt are

made from the bones of cattle. Even chewing gum has an ingredient that comes from a cow. Here

are some other products we get just from the fats and proteins produced by cattle:

makeup detergent floor wax

crayons toothpaste perfume

Cattle and calves for beef are produced in every state in the nation. They can be raised in

many different climates and on many different kinds of land. In the West, cattle are often grazed on

land that cannot be used for other purposes. This is land that erodes easily or is too rocky or dry for

growing crops. As long as the beef producer doesn’t keep the animals for too long on one section of

land, grazing animals help keep this land healthy. They fertilize the land with their manure while their

hooves break up the surface of the soil so tender grass can poke through.

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Cattle and Calves Data

(Total Inventory, January 1, 2016)

State Value ALABAMA 325,000 ALASKA 2,200 ARIZONA 100,000 ARKANSAS 365,000 CALIFORNIA 1,060,000 COLORADO 150,000 CONNECTICUT 9,500 DELAWARE 3,200 FLORIDA 380,000 GEORGIA 280,000 HAWAII 34,000 IDAHO 320,000 ILLINOIS 250,000 INDIANA 196,000 IOWA 500,000 KANSAS 690,000 KENTUCKY 470,000 LOUISIANA 153,000 MAINE 15,000 MARYLAND 35,000 MASSACHUSETTS 7,000 MICHIGAN 205,000 MINNESOTA 480,000 MISSISSIPPI 195,000 MISSOURI 930,000 MONTANA 125,000 NEBRASKA 315,000 NEVADA 57,000 NEW HAMPSHIRE 6,500 NEW JERSEY 4,500 NEW MEXICO 185,000 NEW YORK 240,000 NORTH CAROLINA 220,000 NORTH DAKOTA 90,000 OHIO 245,000 OKLAHOMA 820,000 OREGON 170,000 PENNSYLVANIA 295,000 RHODE ISLAND 800 SOUTH CAROLINA 75,000 SOUTH DAKOTA 270,000 TENNESSEE 415,000 TEXAS 1,890,000 UTAH 85,000 VERMONT 44,000 VIRGINIA 365,000 WASHINGTON 152,000 WEST VIRGINIA 72,000 WISCONSIN 680,000 WYOMING 100,000

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All About Potatoes!

The potato is not a root but a part of the underground stem that stores food reserves for the

plant. The roots collect more water and nutrients than the growing potato plant can use at one time.

The plant stores the excess food in oval packages, called tubers (the potatoes). When the greenery

starts to wither and turn brown, the potatoes are ready to harvest. Potatoes grow best in cool

weather and are an important crop in mountainous parts of the country, where the growing season is

short.

Potatoes produce more pounds of protein per acre than rice or wheat, and they are a good

source of potassium and B vitamins. The average American eats about 125 pounds of potatoes and

potato products each year.

Potatoes were domesticated by ancient tribes living in the Andes Mountains of Bolivia and

Peru between 10,000 and 7,000 years ago. Archaeologists have found pictures of potato plants in

designs on ancient pottery. Andean tribes preserved potatoes by trampling and drying them.

Even though potatoes were first grown in South America, people in North America did not

start eating them until after they became a popular food in Europe. European explorers carried

potatoes from South America to Europe in 1570. About 150 years later, the rulers of several Europe-

an countries ordered their people to start growing potatoes. In Ireland, potatoes became the main

food for the people. In the 1840s, disease wiped out the potato crop in Ireland for two years in a row.

The resulting famine caused many Irish people to move to America.

Today, most of the world’s potatoes today are grown in Asia. Potatoes are grown in all 50 of

the United States and are a common truck crop. A truck crop is grown on a farm and taken to the

market by truck.

Before they go to market, potatoes are graded according to size and quality. The price of the

potato depends on how it looks and how much it weighs.

From potatoes we get some of our favorite foods – french fries, mashed potatoes, potato

chips and more.

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2016 Potatoes Data

Production (cwt)

CWT: Hundred Weight (C for Centum, a hundred and Wt for weight)

State Value

ALASKA 147,000

CALIFORNIA 13,305,000

COLORADO 22,198,000

FLORIDA 5,382,000

IDAHO 139,320,000

ILLINOIS 2,622,000

KANSAS 1,260,000

MAINE 14,880,000

MICHIGAN 17,020,000

MINNESOTA 16,770,000

MISSOURI 2,410,000

MONTANA 3,808,000

NEBRASKA 7,380,000

NEW YORK 3,626,000

NORTH CAROLINA 2,992,000

NORTH DAKOTA 20,800,000

OREGON 22,951,000

TEXAS 7,742,000

VIRGINIA 1,189,000

WASHINGTON 105,625,000

OTHER STATES 1,387,000

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All About Apples!

Scientists say apples have been around for 750,000 years. The first apple orchard in North

America was planted in Boston, Massachusetts in 1625. As our country was settled, nearly every

farm grew some apples. Most of the early varieties would be considered poor quality today. Of

nearly 8,000 known varieties around the world, about 2500 are grown in the United States.

However, only about 100 varieties are grown commercially, meaning you can buy them at a grocery

store or find them in processed products like juice or apple sauce.

Apples come in lots of colors and shapes. Each apple is loaded with minerals, vitamins, and

fiber. Apples are classified as pome fruits because they have leathery seeds embedded in the core

of the fruit similar to pears, another pome. The average apple tree will bear fruit in three years, with

full production coming in eight to ten years. A standard apple tree lives an average of 100 years.

Growing an apple crop takes all year. In the winter, while the trees are dormant, apple

growers begin pruning—clipping off limbs and branches to let the sunshine in. Pruning helps the tree

produce better fruit.

About the time that frost ends in spring, the buds begin to swell. With the opening of the

“King” blossom (the largest and centermost of the five blossom clusters), it is time for pollination to

begin. Bee colonies rented from beekeepers must be moved in quickly. Sunny, mild days are

needed during bloom to encourage strong bee activity. Apples need more than one variety of pollen

for the cross-pollination that ensures good fruit set.

Fruit size and firmness are affected by the amount of moisture apple trees receive in

midsummer. If the weather is too dry, producers must irrigate.

August is the last growing month before the apples begin to ripen. Red apples need cool

nights during harvest to trigger production of an enzyme that increases the amount of color or

“blush.” Apples bruise easily and must be picked by hand. Picking begins around the end of August

and ends in October.

Besides fresh apples for eating, apples give us applesauce, apple cider, apple juice, apple

pie, and other delicious baked treats.

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2016 Total Apple Production

(in pounds)

State Value


CONNECTICUT 12,900,000

IDAHO 55,200,000

ILLINOIS 18,700,000

MAINE 36,500,000

MARYLAND 38,400,000

MASSACHUSETTS 29,000,000

MICHIGAN 1,175,000,000


NEW JERSEY 34,700,000

NEW YORK 1,180,000,000


OHIO 33,500,000

OREGON 195,400,000

PENNSYLVANIA 442,000,000

VERMONT 26,900,000

VIRGINIA 180,000,000

WASHINGTON 7,320,000,000

WEST VIRGINIA 80,000,000

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All About Wheat!

Wheat is one of the oldest foods known to man. There are six classes and more than 30,000

varieties of wheat. The six classes—hard red winter, hard red spring, soft red winter, durum, hard

white, and soft white—are designated by the hardness and color of the wheat kernel and the

growing season of the wheat plant.

Flour from soft wheat makes tender pastries, while hard wheat is higher in the protein (gluten)

needed to make bread rise when yeast is added. Hard wheat flours provide a variety of bread

products. Soft wheat is used to make crackers, cookies, cereals, cakes and pancakes. Durum is the

hardest of the wheats, and it is commonly used to make pasta. Red and white wheats are

differentiated by the color of their kernels, not the color of the flour that they produce. The bran, or

the outer layer of the wheat kernel, contains the pigment that gives red wheat its color. The bran is

included in whole wheat flours but not in all-purpose flour or cake flour. Wheat is a staple food, and it

can even be used to make wallpaper glue and other building products.

Since there are so many varieties of wheat, it can be grown in many different climates.

Somewhere in the world wheat is being harvested every month of the year. Spring wheat is planted

in the spring and harvested in the late summer or fall. Winter wheat is planted in the fall (before

September in the northern United States and through October in southern regions) and harvested

the following spring or summer. Winter wheat sprouts and grows in the fall until a winter freeze

occurs. It then goes dormant until spring, when it will grow and mature until harvest. Winter wheat is

harvested in May in the southern regions, and harvest continues through July in the north.

Too much or too little rain can create problems for wheat farmers. If there is too much rain,

spring wheat may rot before sprouting. If planting is delayed because the ground is too wet, spring

wheat may not mature. However, if wheat does not have enough moisture early in the season, it will

grow weak, and the wheat head won’t produce plump kernels. Too much rain around the time of

harvest can cause wheat kernels to sprout or mold, reducing quality.

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2016 Wheat Production (in bushels)

State Value

ALABAMA 11,900,000

ARIZONA 10,073,000

ARKANSAS 6,210,000


COLORADO 106,000,000

DELAWARE 4,355,000

FLORIDA 510,000

GEORGIA 5,060,000

IDAHO 101,855,000

ILLINOIS 34,780,000

INDIANA 22,680,000

IOWA 1,071,000

KANSAS 467,400,000

KENTUCKY 32,000,000

LOUISIANA 900,000

MARYLAND 16,640,000

MICHIGAN 50,730,000


MISSISSIPPI 2,400,000

MISSOURI 39,900,000

MONTANA 212,675,000

NEBRASKA 70,740,000

NEVADA 651,000


NEW MEXICO 4,510,000

NEW YORK 8,510,000



OHIO 44,800,000

OKLAHOMA 136,500,000

OREGON 39,937,000


SOUTH CAROLINA 2,150,000

SOUTH DAKOTA 111,281,000

TENNESSEE 24,455,000

TEXAS 89,600,000

UTAH 7,184,000

VIRGINIA 9,275,000


WEST VIRGINIA 244,000

WISCONSIN 19,750,000

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All About Corn!

The corn plant is an American native. It was first grown by farmers in Mexico around 7,000

years ago.

Corn is an annual plant that grows seven to ten feet tall. It is actually a type of grass. Strong

roots called prop roots help support the cornstalk. A tassel grows at the top and contains hundreds

of small flowers that produce pollen.

The different types of corn include dent corn, flint corn, sweet corn, popcorn, and flour corn.

Dent corn is commonly called “field corn.” This is the most widely grown type of corn in the United

States, and it is the type that is processed into thousands of different products and used as animal

feed. Producers use a large part of the dent corn crop to feed cattle, hogs, sheep, and poultry.

Sweet corn, popcorn, and flour corn are used for human food. The number of bushels of corn

produced in the United States measures more than double that of any grain crop, and the United

States produces more corn than any other country.

Corn is planted in the early spring using a corn planter. The machine drops the kernels into

rows and then presses the soil around each kernel. Before planting, the planter places fertilizer in

the soil. The rest is up to the weather. Rain is extremely important because the corn plant needs a

lot of water to grow.

Sometime between late September and November the corn will be ready to harvest. Corn is

harvested by a large machine called a combine. The machine cuts off the corn plant, removes the

ear of corn, and separates the kernels from the corn cob. Parts of the corn plant are left in the field

to protect the soil for the next year.

There are more than 3,500 different uses for corn products, and more uses are being found

each day. Corn makes oil, syrup, cereal, starch and more than 1,000 other products you can buy in

the grocery store. Corn kernels are used to make fructose, a liquid sugar used to sweeten soda pop

and baked goods. Cornstarch is also made from corn. Corn can be used to produce biodegradable

plastic and packaging materials, reducing the amount of waste added to landfills. Ethanol is also

made from corn and used as fuel for cars, trucks, and buses.

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2016 Corn Data

Total Production (in Bushels)

State Value

ALABAMA 37,800,000

ARIZONA 10,750,000

ARKANSAS 127,395,000


COLORADO 160,290,000

DELAWARE 27,880,000

FLORIDA 5,800,000

GEORGIA 56,100,000

IDAHO 18,800,000

ILLINOIS 2,255,650,000

INDIANA 946,310,000

IOWA 2,740,500,000

KANSAS 698,640,000

KENTUCKY 222,600,000

LOUISIANA 90,750,000

MARYLAND 60,800,000

MICHIGAN 320,280,000

MINNESOTA 1,544,000,000


MISSOURI 570,500,000

MONTANA 5,500,000

NEBRASKA 1,699,900,000


NEW MEXICO 6,150,000

NEW YORK 73,530,000



OHIO 524,700,000

OKLAHOMA 42,350,000

OREGON 8,970,000



SOUTH DAKOTA 825,930,000


TEXAS 323,850,000

UTAH 5,075,000

VIRGINIA 50,320,000



WISCONSIN 573,160,000

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All About Milk!

Just as beef cattle are raised mostly for their meat, dairy cattle are raised for their milk. The

main breeds of dairy cattle in the United States are Holstein, Jersey, Guernsey, Brown Swiss, and

Ayrshire. Some breeds produce more milk than others, and some produce richer milk than others.

Holsteins are the most common. They produce large quantities of milk, and their distinct black and

white coloring makes them easy to recognize.

A dairy cow weighs about 1,500 pounds. The average cow spends 6–10 hours a day eating,

and consumes about 90 pounds of food. She may eat pasture plants, hay (dried grass or alfalfa), or

silage (chopped green grasses or other plants), and some grain (corn, barley, oats, etc.). She drinks

25–50 gallons of water each day. That’s nearly a bathtub full. Cows that eat only pasture plants

produce less milk than those supplemented with more concentrated and high-energy feeds like

grains. A high-producing cow can give more than 100 glasses of milk a day.

Cows make milk to feed their calves, but they are such big animals that they make much

more milk than a calf needs. A dairy cow must have one calf a year, or she will stop producing milk.

The cows must be milked twice a day and are sometimes milked three times a day.

Dairy farmers are careful to keep the milk clean and avoid exposing it to the open air, which

would contaminate it. The cow’s udder is washed before she is milked to keep the milk clean.

Before modern milk delivery, people had to take their cows with them when they traveled if

they wanted milk. Today a refrigerated tanker truck picks up milk from the dairy and delivers it to the

milk processing plant. At the dairy plant, the milk is pasteurized to kill any disease-causing bacteria

before it is sold.

Milk can be processed into many different foods and dairy products, including butter,

chocolate milk, ice cream, yogurt, cheese, and more.

28

2016 Milk Data

Total Production (in pounds)

State Value

ALABAMA 92,000,000

ALASKA 3,500,000

ARIZONA 4,788,000,000

ARKANSAS 79,000,000

CALIFORNIA 40,469,000,000

COLORADO 3,923,000,000

CONNECTICUT 408,000,000

DELAWARE 95,500,000

FLORIDA 2,503,000,000

GEORGIA 1,830,000,000

HAWAII 34,900,000

IDAHO 14,665,000,000

ILLINOIS 1,903,000,000

INDIANA 4,151,000,000

IOWA 5,034,000,000

KANSAS 3,329,000,000

KENTUCKY 1,048,000,000

LOUISIANA 169,000,000

MAINE 630,000,000

MARYLAND 956,000,000

MASSACHUSETTS 215,000,000

MICHIGAN 10,876,000,000

MINNESOTA 9,666,000,000


MISSOURI 1,373,000,000

MONTANA 295,000,000

NEBRASKA 1,399,000,000

NEVADA 660,000,000

NEW HAMPSHIRE 284,000,000


NEW MEXICO 7,711,000,000

NEW YORK 14,765,000,000



OHIO 5,532,000,000

OKLAHOMA 692,000,000

OREGON 2,593,000,000

PENNSYLVANIA 10,820,000,000

RHODE ISLAND 14,000,000


SOUTH DAKOTA 2,546,000,000


TEXAS 10,773,000,000

UTAH 2,095,000,000

VERMONT 2,724,000,000

VIRGINIA 1,723,000,000

WASHINGTON 6,650,000,000


WISCONSIN 30,123,000,000

WYOMING 139,800,000

29

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Where Does It Come From? Answer Key

1. Beef jerky

2. Beef

3. Student determined

4. D

5. Texas, California, Missouri, Oklahoma, Kansas

6. 50 states

7. Specific to your state

8. Makeup, crayons, steaks, roasts, hamburgers, ball gloves, footballs, shoes, belts, ice cream, yogurt, chewing gum, detergent, toothpaste, floor wax, and medicine.

1. Potato chips

2. Potatoes


4. A

5. Idaho, Washington, Oregon, Colorado, North Dakota

6. 20 states (plus an “other states” category)


8. French fries, mashed potatoes, potato chips.

1. Applesauce

2. Apples


4. C

5. Washington, New York, Michigan, Pennsylvania, California

6. 19 states


8. Applesauce, apple pie and other desserts, fresh apples for eating, apple cider, and apple juice.

1. Pretzels

2. Wheat


4. B

5. Kansas, North Dakota, Montana, Washington, Oklahoma

6. 41 states


8. Pasta, crackers, cookies, cereals, cakes, pancakes, wallpaper glue and other building products.

1. Corn nuts

2. Corn


4. F

5. Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska, Minnesota, Indiana

6. 40 states


8. Oil, syrup, cereal, starch, soda pop, bakery goods, cornstarch, fructose, ethanol, and packaging materials.

1. String cheese

2. Milk


4. E

5. California, Wisconsin, New York, Idaho, Michigan

6. 50 states


8. Butter, chocolate milk, ice cream, yogurt, cheese and more.

31

Johnny Appleseed: Geography Adventure

Grade Levels: 3-5

Purpose: Students will have a better understanding of reading maps and learn more about John Chapman (Johnny Appleseed).

Common Core State Standards: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.4.1; RI.4.7; RF.4.4; SL.4.1; SL.4.4; W.5.7



IAITC’s Apple Ag Mag

Johnny Appleseed by Madeline Olsen ISBN: 978-0439317054

The Apple Orchard Riddle by Margaret McNamara ISBN: 9780375847448

Materials Needed:

• Access to the Internet • United States Map • Markers or Crayons

Background Information:

• John Chapman was born in Massachusetts in 1774.

• He planted more than 10,000 square miles of orchards.

• He began his journey in Pennsylvania traveling by foot with a saucepan for a hat.

• Many claim he traveled barefoot or with rags over his feet.

• He planted his seeds in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois.

Procedure:

1. Students will research John Chapman, with a group, to complete the worksheet on the following page with their group.

2. Each group will type a one page biography of John Chapman and present their paper to the entire class.

Answers for Johnny Appleseed– Geography Adventure

1: Massachusetts

2: Ohio, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Illinois & Indiana

3: Indiana

4: Illinois

5: Massachusetts

6: SW

7: NE

8: About 1,000 miles

9: Pennsylvania

10: Answers will vary

32

Johnny Appleseed: Geography Adventure

1. Johnny Appleseed was born in the state of ______________. Color it yellow.

2. Johnny Appleseed had nurseries in 5 states: ______________, ______________,

______________, ______________, & ______________. Color them green.

3. Johnny Appleseed was buried in the state of ______________. Outline it in red.

4. Of the six different states above, which is farthest west? ______________________

5. Of the six different states above, which is farthest north? ______________________

6. If you went from Massachusetts to Pennsylvania, which direction would you go? _______

7. If you went from Illinois to New York, which direction would you go? _______

8. Using the key, about how many miles is it from Eastern Massachusetts to Western Illinois? ________

9. Which state is bigger, Massachusetts or Pennsylvania? _____________________

10. Mark a black X on the state in which you live.

Source: http://www.enchantedlearning.com/school/usa/people/Appleseedindex.shtml

33

How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World

Grade Levels: 3-5

Purpose: Students will have a better understanding of reading maps and learn more about where

the ingredients in an apple pie came from.

Common Core State Standards: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.4.1; RI.4.7; RF.4.4; SL.4.1; W.5.7



IAITC’s Apple Ag Mag

All in Just One Cookie by Susan E. Goodman ISBN: 978-0060090920

How to Make an Apple Pie and see the World by Marjoire Priceman ISBN: 978-0679880837

Materials Needed:

• Access to the Internet

• World Map

• Markers or Crayons

Background Information:

How to Make an Apple Pie and see the World tells the tale of a girl who went to the grocery store to

buy items to make an apple pie. Once she discovered the grocery store was closed, she decided to

travel the world, visiting places that specialized in the various ingredients.

Procedure:

1. The ingredients on the following page were used in the book along with the corresponding

location it came from. Locate the specified countries and states on page 35. Draw each outline

in the space provided on the right and write down its capital city.

34

A. Flour (Wheat from Italy)

B. Eggs (Chicken from France)

C. Cinnamon (from Sri Lanka)

D. Butter (Cow’s milk from England)

E. Sugar Cane (from Jamaica)

F. Apples (from Vermont)

2. As a class, read the book All in Just One Cookie by Susan E. Goodman. This book explains where all the ingredients in a cookie come from. Students will choose another recipe and write out their directions, including travel, to gather all the ingredients. They will research locations that make the ingredients they need in their recipe. For younger grades, complete this project as a class.

36

What the World Eats

Grade Level: 3-5

Purpose: What the World Eats contains photos and essays about families from countries around

the world. You will be focusing on what and how much food each family eats in one week.

Common Core State Standards: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.2.1-4.1; RI.2-6.7; RI.4.2; RI.4.3; RI.4.6;

RI.4.7; RF.4.4; W.4.3; W.4.7; SL.4.2

Next Generation Science Standards: Life Cycles & Traits: 3-LS3-2

Weather & Climate: 3-ESS2-2

Illinois Social Science Standards: SS.IS.1-7.3-5; SS.IS.1-8.6-8; SS.CV.2-3.4; SS.CV.4.5; SS.CV.1

-5.6-8; SS.G.3-4.5; SS.G.1-4.6-8; SS.EC.2.4; SS.EC.1-2.5; SS.EC.1-3.6-8; SS.EC.FL.3.4;

SS.EC.FL.1.6-8


IAITC’s Nutrition Ag Mag

What the World Eats by Peter Menzel and Faith D’ Aluisio ISBN: 9781582462462

Hungry Planet by Peter Menzel and Faith D’ Aluisio ISBN: 9780984074426

What I Eat by Peter Menzel and Faith D’ Aluisio ISBN: 978-0984074402

Materials Needed:

What the World Eats by Peter Menzel and Faith D’ Aluisio

Data from pages 37 & 38

Quiz on page 39

Procedure:

1. Take a look at the pictures of the families and the corresponding information to the right. Use

this information to complete the activity on the following page.

2. Working in groups, research the specific country your family came from. Look specifically for

what this country is leading in for crops and livestock.

37

Aboubakar family of Darfur, Sudan

One week’s food in November:

Grains & Other Starches* $0.00

Dairy $0.00

Meat, Fish & Eggs $0.58

Fruits, Vegetables & Nuts $0.51

Condiments $0.13

Beverages* $0.00

Total $1.23 If purchased locally: $24.37

Ayme family of Tingo, Ecuador

One week’s food in September:

Grains & Other Starches $17.40

Dairy* $ 0.00

Meat, Fish & Eggs $ 0.00


Condiments $ 2.90

Beverages* $ 0.00

Total $31.55

** Market value of homegrown foods, if purchased: $3.20

The Aboubakar family of Darfur province, Sudan, in front of their tent in the Breidjing Refugee Camp, in eastern Chad, with a week’s worth of food. D’jimia Ishakh Souleymane, 40, holds her daughter Hawa, 2; the other children are (left to right) Acha,12, Mariam, 5, Youssouf, 8, and Abdel Kerim,16. Cooking method: wood fire. Food preservation: natural drying. Favorite food-D’jimia: soup with fresh sheep meat.

*Rations organized by the United Nations with the World Food Programme.

The Ayme family in their kitchen house in Tingo, Ecuador, a village in central Andes, with one week’s worth of food. Ermelinda Ayme Sichigalo, 37, and Orlando Ayme, 35, sit flanked by their children (left to right): Livia, 15, Natalie, 8, Moises, 11, Alvarito, 4, Jessica, 10, Orlando hijo (Junior, held by Ermelinda), 9 months, and Mauricio, 30 months. Not in photograph: Lucia, 5, who lives with grandparents to help them out. Cooking method: wood fire. Food preservation: natural drying.

38

Mendoza family of Todos Santos Cuchumatan, Guatemala

One week’s food in November:


Dairy $ 2.25

Meat, Fish & Eggs $ 7.93


Condiments $ 8.85

Snacks $ 3.96

Prepared Food $ 0.79

Beverages $ 5.68

Total $75.70

*Market value of homegrown foods, if purchased locally: $4.12

Revis family of Raleigh, North Carolina

One week’s food in March:


Dairy $14.51



Condiments $12.51

Snacks & Desserts $21.27

Prepared Food $24.27

Fast Food $71.61

Restaurants $ 6.15

Beverages $77.75

Total $341.98

Madsen family of Cap Hope, Greenland

One week’s food in May:


Dairy $ 4.87


Fruits, Vegetables & Nuts $ 8.67

Condiments $25.66

Snacks & Desserts $54.25

Prepared Food $35.66

Beverages $36.40

Miscellaneous $23.49

Total $277.12

*Local value of hunted meat: $221.26

The Madsen family in their living room in Cap Hope village, Greenland, with a week’s worth of food. Standing by the TV are Emil Madsen, 40, and Erika Madsen, 26, with their children (left to right) Martin, 9, Belissa, 6, and Abraham, 12. Cooking method: gas stove. Food preservation: refrigerator-freezer. Favorite foods-Emil: polar bear. Erika: narwhal skin. Abraham and Belissa: Greenlandic food. Martin: Danish food.

The Mendoza family and servant in their courtyard in Todos Santos Cuchumatan, Guatemala, with one week’s worth of food. Between Fortunato Pablo Mendoza, 50, and Susana Perez Matias, 47, stand (left to right) Ignacio, 15, Cristolina, 19, and a family friend (standing in for daughter Marcelucia, 9, who ran off to play). Far right: Sandra Ramos, 11, live-in helper. Not present: Xtila, 17, and Juan, 12. Cooking methods: gas stovetop, wood stove. Food preservation: refrigerator.

The Revis family in the kitchen of their home in suburban Raleigh, North Carolina, with a week’s worth of food. Ronald Revis, 39, and Rosemary Revis, 40, stand behind Rosemary’s sons from her first marriage, Brandon Demery, 16 (left), and Tyrone Demery, 14. Cooking methods: electric stove, toaster oven, microwave, outdoor BBQ. Food preservation: refrigerator-freezer. Favorite foods-Ronald and Brandon: spaghetti. Rosemary: “potatoes of any kind.” Tyrone: sesame chicken.

39

Complete the activities that follow using the information from the previous pages.

1. Add up the weekly expenses for each family and write the total value in the space provided on the

previous pages. Which family has the most expensive budget? Which one has the least?

2. Find the difference between the budget of the Revis family and the Madsen family.

3. Name two types of food you recognize and two you do not.

4. Identify some beverages in each photograph.

5. Distinguish between foods the Ayme family has purchased in a store or supermarket and foods they

may grow or make themselves. Place the foods into two categories: “store bought” and “homemade.”

How does this compare to the Revis family?

6. Name the foods in the Mendoza family by the following categories: grains & starches, fruits and

proteins.

7. Imagine that you visit the Madsen family and they ask you what you would like for dinner. Choose a

meal based on what you see in the photograph.

8. For each of the following categories, calculate the amount of food each family member eats in one

week: fruit, beverages, meat and dairy.

9. Choose two families. Compare and contrast the amount of food and beverages each family member

consumes in a week and the types of foods that are most prevalent in the families’ diets.

10. What does the families’ food supply in question 9 reveal about their standard of living and the

circumstances of the family members’ lives?

11. Imagine that the Aboubakar family joins you and your family for dinner at your home. Predict what the

members of their family would say to each other about this meal when they returned home.

12. Choose two families. Imagine that these two families could cook a meal together. This meal would

include some of the foods each family customarily eats and would allow the families to educate one

another about their culture and lifestyle. What do you think would be on the menu? What might this

meal teach each family about the other family’s culture and lifestyle?

What the World Eats—Quiz

40

Grade Levels: 3-5

Purpose: Students will learn about renewable and non-renewable resources.

Common Core State Standards: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.1; W.3.7

Next Generation Science Standards: Structures and Properties of Matter: 2-PS1-1; 2-PS1-3

Engineering Design: K-2.ETS1-1; K-2-ETS1-2


IAITC’s Corn Terra Nova

IAITC’s Corn Ag Mag

11 Experiments That Failed by Jenny Offill ISBN: 978-0375847622

Materials Needed:

• Cornstarch Packing Peanuts (www.uline.com, Search “Cornstarch Peanuts”) and Styrofoam Peanuts

• Clear Plastic Cups

• Water

Introduction:

Cornstarch packing peanuts are biodegradable and decompose in water, leaving no toxic waste. Because the peanuts begin to break down in water, the peanuts can also be used to construct sculptures and art. Simply “lick and stick.”

Interest Approaches:

1. Use the packing peanuts as an interest approach. Each student thinks of something different when they hear the word “agriculture.” Have your students build something related to agriculture. To make it more interesting, give your students some stipulations, such as:

• Time Limit—Give your students 10 minutes to construct their idea of agriculture.

• Height—You are looking for the tallest structure.

• Sturdiness—Structures should be free-standing. When time is up, have them let go and then measure the tallest structure that can stand on its own.

2. Another idea: Give students the title of an upcoming reading assignment or book. What does each student think of when they hear that title? What will the book be about? Have each student construct their idea.

Procedure:

1. Start by reading, 11 Experiments That Failed by Jenny Offill. As groups of two, conduct the experiment on pages 41 and 42. Following the experiment, have a classroom discussion about their observations and what each packing peanut was made from. This is a great time to read the Corn Ag Mag as a class and discuss renewable verses nonrenewable resources.

The Disappearing Corn Packing Peanut

41

Observation/Research

• Place one small cup of each type of packing peanut into a larger cup.

• List the characteristic of each type of packing peanut on the sheet provided. Describe each type of

peanut in detail.

• List how you think these peanuts are different.

• In today’s world, many are often very interested in products being biodegradable. In this

experiment, we will want to determine which of these peanuts are made from a biodegradable

product.

Hypothesis

• Form a TOPIC sentence and a HYPOTHESIS for this Packing Peanut Project

Experiment

• Get two cups of water with the same amount of water in each cup.

• Slowly pour the water into each cup of packing peanuts observe and record the reaction of the

packing peanuts to water.

Conclusion

• At the conclusion of the experiment can you reject or accept your hypothesis?

• Pick up the Corn Ag Mag, and read page 3, CORN BASED PRODUCTS, FIELD CORN and add

what you think the dissolved peanuts are made from to your Lab Notes.

LAB NOTES

Packing Peanut A Packing Peanut B

42

LAB NOTES

OBSERVATIONS:

TOPIC SENTENCE:

HYPOTHESIS:

EXPERIMENT OBSERVATIONS:

What do you think is the main ingredient in the packing peanut that disappeared?

Packing Peanut A Packing Peanut B

43

Grade Levels: 3-5

Purpose: Students will understand what a seed needs to germinate.

Common Core State Standards: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.4.3; RI.4.4; RI.4.5; RF.4.3a CCSS.Math.Content.4.MD.A.2

Next Generation Science Standards: Structure & Properties of Matter: 5-PS1-4

Illinois Social Science Standards: SS.EC.1.4; SS.EC.2.4; SS.EC.FL.1.4; SS.G.2.4; SS.G.3.4


IATIC’s Soybean Terra Nova

IATIC’s Soybean Ag Mag

Oh Say Can You Seed by Bonnie Worth ISBN: 978-0375810954

Materials Needed:

• Jewelry size re-sealable bag (found in craft stores)

• Crystal Soil (found in plant nurseries or from Flinn Scientific 800-452-1261)

• Hole Punch

• Water

• Measuring Spoons

• Soybeans

• Yarn

Procedure:

1. Punch a hole in the top of your bag, above the zipper seal.

2. Place 1/4 teaspoon of Crystal Soil into the bag.

3. Drop 1-2 soybeans into the bag.

4. Add one tablespoon of water.

5. Seal your bag firmly.

6. Insert the yarn into the hole to make a necklace.

7. Use the yarn to hang your Beanie Baby around the room to chart the effect of various exposures to light and heat. You might want to wear it around your neck, under your shirt to provide constant heat for your Beanie Baby!

8. Check your Beanie Baby several times a day to watch the process of germination.

9. Record the growth on a chart.

Lesson Extender:

• Soybeans have many different uses in today’s society. Explain how the use of soybeans has evolved since George Washington Carver studied them. Be sure to include your own experiences along with information from the reading.

Beanie Baby

44

Grade Levels: 3-5

Purpose: The purpose of this activity is for the students to learn more about the specific parts of a wheat stalk and how the wheat milling process works.

Common Core State Standards: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.4.3; RI.4.4; RI.4.5; RF.4.3a CCSS.Math.6.SP

Next Generation Science Standards: Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems: 3-LS4-3; 3-LS4-4 Structure, Function and Information Processing: 4-LS1-1

Illinois Social Science Standards: SS.ED.3.2; SS.G.3.3; SS.H.2.3


IAITC’s Wheat Terra Nova

IAITC’s Wheat Ag Mag

Farmer George Plants a Nation by Peggy Thomas ISBN: 978-1620910290

The Thing About Luck by Cynthia Kadohata ISBN: 978-1442474659

Materials Needed:

• Wheat Stalks

• Salt or Pepper Grinder

Procedure:

1. Show students wheat stalks.

2. Go over the parts of the wheat stalk with the students so they can understand the directions for dissection.

Stalk—the entire plant.

Head—the part of the wheat plant that contains the kernels.

Beard—the bristle-like parts of the wheat plant that cover and protect the kernels.

Kernel—the seed from which the wheat plant is grown or that people harvest from the wheat plant to grind into flour.

Stem/Straw—the part of the wheat plant that supports the head and is known as straw after harvest.

3. Dissect the wheat using the following steps:

Hand out stalks of wheat to the students.

Break the head off the stem.

Make a straw out of the stem by breaking it to avoid the nodes.

Lay the wheat head flat on a hard surface and pat with your hand to shake out the kernels.

Have the students count their kernels.

4. Put the kernels of wheat into a salt or pepper grinder and have the students mill their wheat into flour. What simple machines are being used?

5. Talk about different ways to grind wheat. The Native Americans did it using rocks, etc. Have students design their own method of grinding wheat and then test their machines.

6. Talk about the uses of wheat flour to make pastas, breads, desserts, etc.

Lesson Extenders:

• Ask students to count how many kernels they removed from the head of their wheat plant. Record each number on the board. Have students find the mean, median, mode and range of the set of numbers.

• Have students find the gluten in wheat by chewing the kernels. Before there was chewing gum in the store, farmers made their own with grains of wheat!

Wheat Grinding

45

Grade Levels: 3-5

Purpose: Students will understand which dairy their milk product came from. They will also be

locating the actual dairies on a United States map.

Common Core State Standards: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.2.1; RI.2.5; RI.3.5; RI.3.7; RI.4.7

Illinois Social Science Standards: SS.G.3.3; SS.EC.1.3; SS.G.1.4; SS.G.3.4


IAITC’s Dairy Ag Mag

Dairy Queen by Catherrine Gilbert Murdock ISBN: 978-0618863358

Feeding the World: DAIRY products by Kim Etingoff ISBN: 978-1422227435

Every milk product contains a code on the packaging that details which dairy the product came from.

Find the code and enter it at www.whereismymilkfrom.com to find out what dairy your milk came from!

Investigate the following from your code:

1. From what dairy did your milk come?

2. How many miles did your milk travel?

3. Are their other dairies closer to you than the one from which your milk came?

4. Investigate different brands of milk purchased in the same store or in the same town. What did you

notice about the different brands of milk and the locations of dairies?

5. Why do you think some stores carry milk from multiple locations?

6. As you conduct your own research, notice that your milk can come from a variety of places in the

state and outside the state. What parts of the state are typically represented with milk from dairies

located outside the state?

7. If possible examine the code on UHT pasteurized milk. Why is it produced in other states?

Where is My Milk From?

http://www.whereismymilkfrom.com

46

Where is My Milk From?

www.whereismymilkfrom.com

MILK—

The Local

Connection!

http://www.whereismymilkfrom.com

47

Build a Calf

Grade Level: 3-5

Purpose: Students will explore genes and heredity using beef cattle as an example.

Common Core State Standards: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.6.1

Next Generation Science Standards: Heredity: Inheritance and Variation of Traits: MS-LS3-2

Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity: MS-LS4-4-6


IAITC’s Beef Ag Mag

Beef Princess of Practical County by Michelle Houts ISBN: 978-0440422709

Practical County Drama Queen by Michelle Houts ISBN: 978-1771275262

Little Joe by Sandra Neil Wallace ISBN: 978-0375854507

Materials Needed:

• Genes worksheet

• Calf coloring page

• A coin to flip (1 for each student or group of students)

• Breed pictures

Words to know:

• Dam — female parent

• Sire — male parent

• Trait – a genetically determined characteristic

• Gene – a unit of heredity that is transferred from a parent to offspring and is held to determine some characteristic of the offspring.

• Inherit – derive a quality or characteristic genetically from one’s parent or ancestors

• Heredity – the passing on of physical or mental characteristics genetically from one generation to another

• Dominant – a trait that can be expressed when just one copy of the gene is present

• Recessive – a trait that can be expressed only when two copies of the gene are present

• Hereford – an English breed of beef cattle with a red body and white face and stomach

• Angus – a Scottish breed of beef cattle known for their good meat quality

• Linked genes – genes that are inherited together or do not assort independently

• Phenotype – physical features of an animal

• Allele — any of several forms of a gene, usually arising through mutation, that are responsible for hereditary variation

• Homozygous — having identical pairs of genes for any given pair of hereditary characteristics

• Heterozygous — having dissimilar pairs of genes for any hereditary characteristic

• Crossbred — to produce a hybrid animal or plant by breeding two animals or two plants of different species or varieties

Adapted from Iowa Ag Literacy Foundation

48

Build a Calf

Procedure:

1. Break students into groups of no more than four. Every group will need a game set, including a dice or coin, breed pictures, and a copy of the genes worksheet. Each student should also receive their own copy of instructions and a calf color page.

2. Have the students read the instructions to themselves, and then work in groups to play the game.

Students should flip the coin to determine if the dominant or recessive allele is being passed on from the dam. If the coin lands heads up, the dominant gene is passed on. If the coin lands heads down, the recessive gene is passed on. Students should record the gene they landed upon on their gene worksheet, and then flip again to see if the dominant or recessive allele is being passed on from the sire. Once they have determined the allele from each parent, they should select the correct homozygous or heterozygous pairing on the gene worksheet.

Repeat this process for all the traits represented.

Then, color in the calf on the calf color page to reflect the genes passed on from the parents to the offspring.

Have students compare their offspring to the breed pictures. Does their calf look more like an Angus or a Hereford? Does it look like a crossbred? What genes determined that?

In their groups, have students calculate the percent of animals that look like Herefords, Angus or crossbreds. Is there an even number of each? Why or why not?

3. As a group, have students discuss:

What are some objectives of farmers or ranchers selectively breeding cattle? Which traits might they want to select for or against? How does this effect the consumer?

How do genetics relate to the efficiency of the animal? How does that affect consumers?

If an animal lives in an arid desert, which traits might you select for? What might help your animal be more successful in that environment?

Do the traits we played the game for directly affect the animal’s use for consumers? What are some traits that might? Is there a way to select for traits that would focus on nutrition or healthfulness?

Are beef producers the only farmers that need to worry about genetics? Are there traits in crops or other livestock that are affected by heredity? What might some of those be?

Lesson Extenders:

• Have students brainstorm traits to add to the list. Some could include: muscle, bone, head color, hair length, hoof size, etc.

• Identify examples of how the knowledge of inherited traits is applied to farmed plants and animals in order to meet specific objectives (i.e., increased yields, better nutrition, etc.)

• Provide examples of science being applied in farming for food, clothing and shelter products.


49

Build a Calf

Flip the coin to determine what genes your offspring will carry. Match the genetic traits each

parent will pass on to his/her offspring by recording the uppercase or lowercase letter in your chart

at the bottom of this page.

Mother’s Traits Father’s Traits

Heads

(Dominant)

Tails

(Recessive)

Heads

(Dominant)

Tails

(Recessive)

Female/Male X = female X Female/Male X Y = male

Polled/Horned P = polled p Polled/Horned P p

Black Coat/

Red Coat

B = black b Black Coat/

Red Coat

B b

Solid Coat/

Spotted Coat

S = solid s Solid Coat/

Spotted Coat

S s

Mother’s Trait Father’s Trait

Sample B b BB Bb bb

Female/Male Female

XX

Male

XY

Polled/Horned Polled

PP

Polled

Pp

Horned

pp

Black Coat/

Red Coat

Black Coat

BB

Black Coat

Bb

Red Coat

bb

Solid Coat/

Spotted Coat

Solid Coat

SS

Solid Coat

Ss

Spotted Coat

ss


Circle Appropriate Trait Combination

50

Build a Calf

Angus

Hereford

Angus-Hereford Crossbred

(Black Baldy)

51

Build a Calf

My calf is a .

(Breed)


52

Grade Level: 3-5

Purpose: Students will learn the dietary needs of livestock by completing this activity and reading the suggested reading materials.

Common Core State Standards: ELA-Literacy.W.5.8; W.5.8; Math.5.NBT.5; 5.NF.4; 5.NF.6; 5.NF.7 Next Generation Science Standards: Energy: 5-PS3


IAITC’s Beef, Dairy and Pork Terra Nova

IAITC’s Beef, Dairy, Nutrition and Pork Ag Mag’s

Materials Needed:

• Plastic baggies

• Yarn

• Scale

• Bowl or cup to measure ingredients on scale

• Measuring cups/spoons

• Oat cereal (like Cheerios)

• Blue candy (like Jelly Bellies, M&M’s, or blue wrapped candy kisses)

• Raisins

• Soy nuts

• Small candy (Nerds)

• White chocolate chips

Procedure:

1. Each student receives a plastic baggie food sack.

2. Have the students measure ten grams of the toasted oat cereal in the bowl on the scale (remember to zero out the empty bowl), and then they can add the cereal to their feed sacks. The cereal represents carbohydrates—Carbohydrates provide energy.

3. The students should count out six blue candies. This represents the six gallons of water that a pig needs every day.

4. Next, have the students measure and add five grams of soy nuts, which represent the protein in a diet. Protein builds muscle and helps body systems function properly.

5. Have the students use a measuring spoon to measure one tbsp. of Raisins (about ten), which represents the minerals—minerals ensure the animal has strong bones and muscles.

6. Add one tsp. of Nerds, which represent the vitamins—Vitamins help to make sure the animal has good eye sight and help clot blood if the animal is cut or injured.

7. Then add five grams of white chocolate chips to represent the fat in an animal’s diet. Fats promote healthy brain activity.

8. Have the students complete the worksheet on the next page.

Feed Sacks

53

Animal

Carbohy-

drates

(Cereal)

Water

(Blue

Candies)

Minerals

(Raisins)

Protein

(Soy Nuts)

Vitamins

(Small

Candies)

Fats

(White

Chocolate

Chips)

Large Pig

(x1)

10g 6 1Tbsp 5g 1 tsp. 5g

Small Pig

(x ⅟2)

Dairy Cow

(x 2)

Beef Cow

(x 2⅟2 )

What would you do?

Use your knowledge of nutrition to help meet the dietary needs of animals in the unique

situations below. How would you change the diet of the animals in each situation? Use

complete sentences and make sure to explain how and why you would make each change.

1. It’s summer and the temperature outside is reaching record highs in the area around your

dairy farm.

2. One of your young pigs is not gaining weight. How might you adjust its diet to help it reach a

healthy weight?

3. Your cattle appear sluggish. You called the vet to come examine them, how might you adjust

their diet as well?

The diet of cattle and pigs changes depending on the needs of the animal. One of the factors that

changes an animal’s diet is the size of the animal. Use multiplication to figure out how you would

change the ingredients in your feed sack to satisfy different size animals.

Feed Sacks

56

Illinois Agriculture in the Classroom

1701 Towanda Ave.

Bloomington, IL 61701

Phone: 309-557-3334

Illinois Agriculture in the Classroom Ag Mags are four-page colorful agricultural magazines

for kids. They contain information about agriculture, classroom activities, career interviews

and bright pictures.

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