State agriculture focused non-profit, the Kansas Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom (KFAC), hosted their inaugural one-day summer conference at the Salina Bicentennial Center.
The 71 attendees were immersed in “Creating the Best Day Ever,” the conference focus. The conference provided an education and entertainment filled day for Kansas teachers.
Among keynote speakers was Monte Selby, Ph.D., a Kansas native, who showed his passion for education and music. Local Assaria brothers, The Peterson Farm Brother, spoke and performed during the lunch session.
Both entertainers engaged the audience with song. Selby captivated the morning session, motivating educators to find a worthwhile element in all lessons and workshops throughout the day while keeping in tune to his musical roots. The Peterson Farm Brothers impressed on attendees how advocating agriculture is as simple as a song. They also emphasized social media as a medium for circulating concepts and ideas related to both education and agriculture.
“Agriculture education is not just teaching kids to be farmers,” was one positive response from the conference, according to survey feedback.
Educators from all grades and subjects were represented at the conference.
Hands-on workshops provided by Kansas teachers delivered educators with new ideas and ways to incorporate agriculture education into their current classroom curriculum.
The conference concluded with the release of three new Kids Connection agriculture magazines. The magazines emphasized the lifecycle, economics and co-products of beef, pork and dairy livestock in Kansas. “Farm Animals and Me,” KFAC’s 2017 school year theme is represented in the magazines released, as well as the 2017 bookmark art contest. Each educator left the conference with a classroom set of each new magazine and a bag filled with KFAC re-sources. Three additional magazines will be released in fall 2016 focusing on sheep, goats and poultry.
Donors for the conference included Chuck Henry Sales of Solomon, the Kansas Department of Agriculture, Kansas Beef Council, Kansas Pork Association, Kansas NRCS, Kansas Dairy Commission, Farmer Direct Foods and the Greater Salina Community Foundation, among others.
Continuing education credits through Kansas State University were available to teacher who wished to purchase them.