Last call to enter to win; CHS and Native American Scholarships; Sign-up for the Literacy Project

February 12, 2021 • Order Resources • Donate • Curriculum Matrix • Digital Library

Last Call to Enter to win Any of our 10 Packages

Show Your Love for Colorado Agriculture Package Giveaway Fundraiser

Show your love for Colorado agriculture by participating in the Colorado Foundation for Agriculture's package giveaway fundraiser. We are offering ten fun and interesting packages that showcase Colorado agriculture and appeal to a wide variety of audiences. Enter to win any of the packages for yourself, your classroom, or think about entering on behalf of your favorite teacher or class (or gifting them the package if you win).

Check out the unique line-up of packages. There's something for everyone! Click on the package number to view the details for each package and to enter to win.

Package 1: Classroom visit by Dr. Temple Grandin & Books
Package 2: Tour and take your own photos of a beautiful Red Angus ranch in Briggsdale, Colorado; plus win a Colorado Beef kitchen accessory kit including a set of Victorninox Swiss Army Knives valued at $130
Package 3: Win 4 tickets to the Colorado State Fair PRCA Ram Rodeo with Casey Donahew on Friday, August 27, 2021
Package 4: Classroom visit with children's author and ag journalist Rachel Gabel
Package 5: Get up-close and personal with a wind turbine and learn all about this renewable energy on a Wind Farm Tour
Package 6: Enjoy pumpkins, honey, hayride, and a picnic on a Fall Excursion at CALF's Lowell Ranch
Package 7: Win 4 tickets to the Colorado State Fair PRCA Ram Rodeo with Dustin Lynch on Saturday, August 28, 2021
Package 8: Win 25 children's books that feature agricultural themes with this Bushel of Books package
Package 9: Go back in time and experience 100 years of agricultural history at the Bee Family Centennial Farm Museum Tickets, plus enjoy a meal on us with a $100 gift card to a local Fort Collins restaurant
Package 10: Win 4 tickets to the Colorado State Fair PRCA Ram Rodeo with Diamond Rio Tickets on Sunday, August 29, 2021

How this Package Giveaway Fundraiser works:

For each $10+ donation, we'll enter your name into a drawing to win that package. Donations will be accepted until 12:00 Noon on Sunday, February 14, 2021. Drawings will be held on the afternoon of Valentine's Day. Enter to win as many packages as you'd like. The more you donate to each package, the greater your chances are of winning. All proceeds support Colorado Agriculture in the Classroom®.

The Colorado Literacy Project is a way to bring agriculture into the classroom while reinforcing reading comprehension. During the spring, farmers and ranchers across Colorado will visit classrooms and read a book to the students. They answer questions and talk about their farm or ranch. The class keeps the book!

This year's book is a new book and features Colorado farming and ranching families. The book is titled Still Good: The Faces of Family Agriculture. It was written by Rachel Gabel and illustrated by Liz Banman-Munsterteiger. The publication of this book is a joint project between the Colorado Foundation for Agriculture (CFA) and the Bessie Minor Swift Foundation on behalf of The Fence Post Magazine. Learn more about this new book by reading this article.

This program is appropriate for students in preK through fifth grades and reinforces Colorado Academic Standards for Reading, Writing, and Communicating; Social Studies: History; and Science: Life Science. Instruction guides, a vocabulary list, and activities are provided for the different grade levels. Visit will take place from mid-February to May.

Individual school/class participation options: CFA will connect you with a farmer/rancher to read to your class/school. Or you may find your own guest reader if you have volunteers you work with on a regular basis. You are also welcome to simply read to your own class without the need of a guest reader. It will be up to the school contact and guest reader to schedule the individual visits (CFA will share contact information). Visit will take about 30-45 minutes.

Alternative: Ag Day group participation option: To celebrate National Ag Day, CFA will host several special virtual reading sessions during the week of March 22-26, 2021. These sessions will be conducted over Zoom and open to multiple classes, day cares, or individuals from across the state to participate at the same time. Once scheduled, CFA will send the details of days and times, as well as the name of the person who will be reading for each session (we hope to line up several special guest readers). These sessions will be 30 minutes in length.

More information about the program and various participation options can be found on the sign-up forms or on the CFA webpage. Teachers and volunteers may sign up for this program using the links below. Early sign-ups are encouraged!

The 2021 Colorado Literacy Project is sponsored by the Bessie Minor Swift Foundation, Colorado Farm Bureau Women's Leadership Committee, Colorado CattleWomen, Inc., Bank of Colorado, and various individual donors.

Search the National Agriculture Curriculum Matrix for lesson plans and resources!

February Featured Resources

Check out these lesson plans and resources from the National Agriculture Curriculum Matrix.

1. Pancakes! (K-5)

2. King Cotton (3-12)

3. Food Scientist for a Day (6-8)

4. Melons, Mitosis, and Meiosis (9-12)

5. Lincoln Clears a Path: Abraham Lincoln's Agricultural Legacy

6. About Farm Animals Mini Kit

Two Scholarship Programs for National Agriculture in the Classroom Conference

Applications due April 1, 2021

The 2021 National Agriculture in the Classroom Conference "Fields of Dreams" will be held as a "hybrid" conference with an in-person option and a live streaming/virtual option.

Scheduled for June 28-July 1, the conference will be held at the Iowa Events Center in downtown Des Moines, Iowa. Registration will go live on the NAITC website March 1 and the deadline for early registration of $435 will be extended to June 1. Virtual registration will be $50. Social distancing measures, including mask wearing, will be implemented to make sure everyone remains safe at the conference.

CHS Foundation is once again offering scholarships to help teachers in pre-kindergarten (Pre-K) through 12th grade attend the NAITC Conference June 28-July 1 in Des Moines, Iowa. The scholarship covers early registration of $435. Fifty scholarships will be given out, and recipients are responsible for covering their airfare/mileage and lodging. The deadline for applications is April 1. Only state certified teachers employed by a school district or private school may apply. Please visit 2021 CHS Foundation Scholarship Application and scroll down to learn more and apply.

The Native American Agriculture Fund (NAAF) is partnering with NAITCO to send to the NAITC conference teachers who teach Native American students or have a Native American affiliation. The scholarship covers early registration of $435 and travel to the conference June 28-July 1 in Des Moines, Iowa. The deadline for applications is April 1. Eligible applicants must teach at a tribal government operated school, a Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) school, a BIE-supported school, a school on a reservation teaching Native American students, a non-reservation school that has a high percentage of Native American students, or have a tribal affiliation. To learn more and review the application, please visit NAAF Scholarship Application.

Lincoln Clears a Path New Thomas Novel

Lincoln Clears a Path is a new novel by Peggy Thomas that explores the impact the 16th U.S. President Abraham Lincoln had on agriciulture. From the struggles and hardships in his personal life and during his presidency, the book delves into the strides he made creating the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the signing of the Pacific Railway Act and the Morrill Act.

Beautifully illustrated by Stacy Innerst, the book is a must have for those who would like to better understand the contributions this famous president made to agriculture. The ISBN number is 978-1-68437-153-2. The publisher is Penguin Random House, and can be purchased at Lincoln Clears a Path This book review is provided by Kevin Daugherty, education director of Illinois Agriculture in the Classroom.

Ways you can support Colorado Agriculture in the Classroom

Link your King Soopers/City Market loyalty card and support the Colorado Foundation for Agriculture every time you shop. Visit the King Soopers Community Rewards page to sign up for this free program.

Thank you to all who gave to CFA during Colorado Gives Day on Tuesday, December 8, 2020. If you haven't yet made a contribution, you may set up your gift at any time through the Community First Foundation.

You Shop. Amazon Gives. Every time you shop, AmazonSmile donates to the Colorado Foundation for Agriculture.

Thank You Sponsors!

It is through the generous support from our sponsors and donors that the Colorado Foundation for Agriculture has been able to continue and shift operations and programs, even during these unprecedented circumstances. Gifts, of any dollar amount, are still needed to ensure we are geared up for the 2020-2021 school year, be it virtual or face-to-face instruction. Make your contribution today at https://bit.ly/givecfa.

A special thank you to the sponsors listed below who have contributed $4,000 or more during the 2019-2020 fiscal year. To view the entire list of sponsors, visit our sponsor page.

Giving is not just about making a donation.

It's about making a difference!