Welcome to the Division of Agriculture Education, Farm Safety and Farmland Preservation

Kentucky Agriculture and Environment in the Classroom, Inc. (KAEC)

Kentucky Proud Lessons

     These lessons demonstrate the role agriculture can play in the classroom to help students learn traditional subjects such as mathematics, science, social studies and practical living.  Alignment to the Kentucky Program of Studies and the Core Content for Assessment have been addressed and documented in each lesson. 

     Agriculture is more than farming; it encompasses the vast food and fiber system.  This system begins with the land and ends in your home. Agriculture is the basis for America’s high standard of living.  With each new generation we become farther removed from the origin of our food and fiber.  Less than two percent of the U.S. population is actively involved in agricultural production.

      Many inventions that make daily life more comfortable began from agricultural research: disposable diapers (the absorbent part is made from corn starch); permanent press cotton; biofuels from corn and soybeans, and not the least, mass-produced penicillin. 

      Agriculture is part of our environment. It contributes to green space and wildlife habitat.  Without clean water and protected soil farmers cannot grow crops and animals efficiently.  Agriculture holds the key to a promising future with the development of renewable resources from the land.

      The introduction of the agriculture theme offers a practical, hands-on method to enhance learning, making it personal and meaningful.  After all, who doesn’t like to eat, wear clothes and take medicine to get well?

A Puzzling Farm "Story": Get to the Plot! - Students will participate in hands-on math activities, including measurement, plotting coordinate points on a grid, and use of deductive reasoning skills to simulate a farmer’s decision-making process in deciding what crops to plant in accordance with soil conditions and other variables.

     During this lesson, students will discover problems farmers face in making decisions on what crops will produce the best yields from their fields while better understanding the role technology will play in that decision-making process. Students will better understand the plight of farmers, including the risk-taking involved with so many variables that are out of their control. They will discover how new technology, such as Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in “precision farming,” assist farmers in making accurate predictions. These systems aid farmers in the study of soil characteristics to better plan and manage their fields for greater productivity, moving them away from traditional one-crop fields to multi-crop fields.

Careers in Agriculture - Agriculture offers a wide variety of career choices.   This lesson will help students realize that agriculture is an interdependent field including mathematics, science, technology, and management.

Cooperate! Create! And Save A Farm! - Throughout this lesson, students will learn that Kentucky farmers are continually facing challenges for sustaining their farms.  Today’s farmers are recognizing the necessity for better marketing and advertising of their commodities/products, as well as ways to diversify and add value to their products. Students will become acquainted with Kentucky alliances/cooperatives, which lend a variety of support to farmers in these efforts to bring their products to Kentucky consumers; for the lesson, students will be arranged into small “cooperatives.”  Each cooperative will be given the name of a simulated Kentucky farm and information regarding its products.  Students will then develop a marketing plan together to help their “client” farm add value to their products and diversify their farm resources for greater profitability and sustainability. Finally, each cooperative (group of students) will present its plan to a prospective “farmer” (the teacher and remaining students). 

Farms As Wildlife Habitats - Farms can provide important habitats for wildlife. When we think of a farm, we generally think of fields of corn, soybeans and tobacco or maybe herds of cows.  In past practices, because of economical factors, farmers often planted every inch of the field in crops and kept fence rows mowed to the ground.  This type of farming caused loss of habitat for wildlife.  Current best management practices include establishing or retaining habitats for wildlife thus restoring valuable ecological balance. 

It Takes More Than Luck! A Farming Game of Risk and Chance - The rationale for this game is to help students understand the importance of planning, knowledgeable decision-making, careful management, and the use of technology today and in the future in operating any successful business –in this case, farming.  In addition, students will become aware of the many risks that farmers face daily.  These risks include effects of weather, pests, insects, weeds, field management, and myriad diseases. They usually are unexpected and frequently out of the farmer’s control. 

Gameboard for "It Takes More Than Luck! A Farming Game of Risk and Chance"

Marketing Means More - This lesson will help students understand the process of marketing and the importance of marketing Kentucky products in retail stores.

Mush, Mush - Make Room for Mushrooms - The ultimate recycling plan . . . . the cycle of life’s renewal . . .there’s “fungus amongus” and we’ve found a fun way to start growing mushrooms!  You and your students will convert rolls of toilet paper into a bouquet of edible oyster mushrooms in three weeks, simply by adding mushroom spawn and boiling water. The Teepee Oyster Roll Kit, along with toilet paper and a sense of humor, will help you create the ultimate recycling plan.

Our Disappearing Farmland, Balancing Our Land Use - In this lesson, students will recognize the importance of farmland preservation.  Through critical thinking skills and graph interpretation, students will reflect on how changes in land use through time have affected the state of Kentucky.  Finally, students will look at statistics to create a graph that compares the number of farms in Kentucky to the average size of Kentucky farms over a span of several years.

The Farm as an Ecosystem - Science curriculum for intermediate students includes the study of various ecosystems.  This lesson provides the example of the farm as an ecosystem.

The Power of the Neighborhood Market - In this lesson, students will study about the rationale for buying locally grown products.  They will learn the economic impact of farmers and producers on their community as well as the benefits to consumers who buy locally grown products.

Trees - Trees make the world a better place.  They provide homes for wildlife and for people.  Trees inspire poetry and art.  Trees provide jobs and income for people all over the world.  Trees benefit people directly and indirectly as they provide beauty to our surroundings.  This lesson describes the importance of trees agriculturally and environmentally.

GEOGRAPHY LESSONS - Geography matters to Kentucky agriculture. There are five lessons based on the five themes of geography.   All five themes are equally important to Kentucky’s agriculture and environment.

What is the Location of Kentucky Agriculture? - Students will explore the first theme of geography "location" and connect it to the state of Kentucky.

In What Kinds of Places do Kentucky Farmers Produce/Raise Their Crops? - The second theme of geography “place” will allow students to explore the characteristics of Kentucky farmlands.  This could include animal life, patterns of livelihood, land use, communication and transportation networks.  Students will research and explore where the farms are and common characteristics they may share. 

How Does Farming Affect the Environment? - The third theme of geography is human/environment interaction.  This lesson looks at the impact of the farmer on his environment. 

Where Do Kentucky Agricultural Products Go? - The fourth theme of geography is movement.  People interact with other people, places, and things almost every day of their lives.  This includes their relying on products that come from beyond their immediate environment.  Students will study the movement of Kentucky agricultural products.

In What Regions Can Kentucky Agricultural Products Be Found? - The fifth theme of geography is regions.  A region is an area on the earth’s surface that is defined by certain unifying characteristics.  The unifying characteristics may be physical, human, or cultural.  Students will be trying to determine if agricultural crops are grown in specific regions of Kentucky. 

Lesson Authors

Kay Smith

Kay Smith has been an educator for more than 30 years.  She has worked as a classroom teacher in mainly the fourth grade. She served as an Economic Advocate for the Kentucky Council on Economic Education for 10 years.  She was a distinguished/high skilled educator for the Kentucky Department of Education for three years.  She retired as a classroom teacher to become a grandmother, but she now works for Russell Independent as a literacy consultant.  She also works for the big East special education co-op of KEDC as one of the state literacy coaches for Reading First.

Valerie Durham

Valerie Durham lives in Somerset, Kentucky, and has been teaching for 8 years.  She currently teaches general music to kindergarten through fifth grade students at Oak Hill and Nancy Elementary schools.

Judy Vowels

Judy, an Excel Award winner, received her Rank I, written curriculum for various agencies (including award-winning Economics curriculum), written and consulted for Instructor Magazine, and serves as consultant for Economics America.

Darleen Horton

Darleen Horton has been an educator for more than 30 years.  She has been awarded the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science & Math Teaching, the Amgen Award for Science Teaching Excellence, the Ashland Teacher Achievement Award, and The ExCel Award.  Darleen has written curricula for science education and has a special focus on outdoor classrooms.  She currently teaches in a science lab for grades K - 5.

Carmen Carter

Carmen Carter has taught all grade levels of elementary school for fifteen years.  While teaching, she served as a consultant for Economics America for six years and wrote award-winning economics curriculum, in addition to co-authoring published, economics curriculum.  She was awarded Fulbright and Mid-South Japan trips to Indonesia and Japan, respectively. Now retired from teaching, Carmen is opening her own vintage/antiques business in Louisville; furthermore, she plans to continue writing projects.

Judy Hayden

Judy is married to Gerry and has two children and two grandchildren.  She has taught kindergarten through fifth grade for twenty-nine years.  She is a member of the Daviess County Education Association, The Kentucky Education Association and the Women’s Education Sorority.  She has received numerous recognitions including Kentucky Agriculture and Environment in the Classroom Teacher of the Year, Kentucky Farm Journal Teacher of the Year, Kentucky Farm Bureau Communications Award, and the John Deere Journal Teacher of the Year.  

Pilot Teachers:  Stephanie Starkey, Second Street School, Frankfort; Beckie Godby, Jamestown Elementary, Jamestown; Susan Traylor, Owen County Elementary, Owenton; Melissa Tabor, Flaherty Elementary, Ekron;

Nathalie Vincent, Cumberland County Middle School, Burkesville; Jennifer Hayden, Utica Elementary, Utica;

Leslie Carby, Old Mill Elementary, Prospect; Ellen Butler, Northside Elementary, Midway; Anita Loveless, Burnside Elementary, Somerset; Stephanie Warner, Shepherdsville Elementary, Shepherdsville; Jamie Smith, Heritage Elementary, Waddy; Karen Miller, Roby Elementary, Shepherdsville; Letha Lowe, Owen County Elementary, Owenton; Rhonda Godby, Union Chapel Elementary, Jamestown; Shelby Ison, Northside Elementary, Midway; Kim Swindell, Northside Elementary, Midway; Jennifer Poole; Michelle Owens; and Paula Bault