Companion Resources

Virtual Farm Trips® offers free, engaging, live, and on-demand virtual field trips that connect audiences directly with farmers on their actual farms. Unlike pre-recorded and highly edited virtual field trips, these experiences are interactive and unscripted, allowing participants to engage in real-time conversations with farmers in their fields, equipment, and barns. With this approach, no two Virtual Farm Trips are ever the same. For educators and families, the platform offers a variety of live and on-demand trips suitable for different age groups and interests.

The Discover Agriculture Careers website is designed for a student audience to explore career pathways in agriculture. Students can explore focus areas within each pathway, education requirements, and see how they can get experience in the career pathway now.

A school garden is a powerful education tool to teach about many subjects including science, math, language arts, engineering, technology, and even stewardship. With any type of garden, indoors or outdoors, students have an opportunity to engage in agricultural practices on a small scale, learning about the web of interactions among the living and nonliving players that sustain life. The Indoor Gardening Curriculum is a compilation of lessons specifically focused on building and running simple hydroponic and aquaponic systems in the classroom, as well as growing in soil on vertical shelving. Each lesson has been designed to give teachers practical low-cost options to growing in their classrooms.

The 2024 Food and Farm Facts eLearning Module accompanies the latest version of the the Food and Farm Facts booklet. The module includes infographics, real-world examples, and engaging multimedia to help students better understand where their food comes from and the work involved in feeding the nation, with a focus on agricultural literacy and critical thinking.

Are you ready to jump into a career in agriculture? Step into the world of agriculture careers with this online game as you try on the clothes, pick up the tools, and visit the places where the men and women of American agriculture work.

Seed Your Future is the movement to promote horticulture and inspire people to pursue careers working with plants. The website has a database of horticulture career profiles, as well as a YouTube playlist of videos describing horticulture career areas in "BLOOM!" categories. Students unlock their plant power as they explore careers in horticulture.

One of the best ways to discover a new place is through their food, and this is why the popularity of food tourism is on the rise. In fact, 53% of people who travel for leisure describe themselves as food tourists. In this guide, readers will learn about the global impact and benefits of food tourism, discover tips for eco-friendly culinary vacations, explore the top 10 global dishes around the world, and find recommended resources for an enriched travel experience.

Tired of higher food prices? The food industry is focusing on tighter cost controls to hold the line against future increases. But you might be surprised to see what worries food executives most. Explore the importance of transportation in the food supply chain using this article from Dirt to Dinner.

One of the most powerful weapons in the fight against climate change is washing up on shorelines around the world, unnoticed by most beachgoers. It’s seaweed. Specifically, Asparagopsis taxiformis and Asparagopsis armata — two species of a crimson submarine grass that drifts on waves and tides all around the world’s oceans. See how seaweed is being researched as a feed additive to reduce methane production in livestock.

Over 100 years ago, a scientist named William J. Beal had a question: how long do seeds survive underground? To find out, he started an experiment. In 1879 he filled 20 bottles with sand and seeds from local plants. William buried these bottles and created a map to document their location, hoping that future scientists would continue to dig them up to test whether the seeds would still grow long after his death. Supplement a seed lesson with this fascinating story and science experiment.

The scientific voice of the sugar industry, this website offers resources about real sugar from sugar beets and sugar cane with the goal of enhancing consumer understanding and confidence in the role that sugar plays in a nutritious, balanced, and enjoyable diet.

In Project S.O.W., youth work together to investigate how to grow food, explore their relationship with the land and food system, and practice leadership in their communities. Youth discover the power of food gardening to provide their families and communities with fresh and affordable food, and experience firsthand the resilience, confidence, and connection that this time-honored practice brings. Resources can be paired with school gardening curriculum for ages 13-19.