Companion Resources

This website from the creators of ArcGIS mapping software provides articles, interactive demos, and videos illustrating how GIS technology can be applied to agriculture.

The Peter Menzel Photography website provides an archive of the photos included in the Hungry Planet book, which depict everything an average family consumes in a week along with the food cost. These portraits provide a glimpse into kitchens from Norway to China to Mexico, raising questions about how culture and environment influence the cost and calories of diets around the world.

FAOSTAT provides free access to food and agriculture data for over 245 countries and territories and covers all FAO regional groupings from 1961 to the most recent year available.

Food safety and science come together with these virtual labs. Students can see and practice some of the laboratory techniques used by researchers and food scientists. Visit the website to see eight virtual labs including Testing for Corn Mold, Bacteria Sampling, Gram Staining, Using the Microscope, The pH Scale and Meter Calibration, Testing and Adjusting pH, Understanding Water Activity, and Controlling Water Activity in Food.

Students interested in a plant science career can use this website to find information on specialized career paths in the fields of agriculture, horticulture and forestry. Discover the demand for nursery and greenhouse workers, horticulturists, florists, flower specialists, and more.

Use this interactive tractor timeline to learn about the history of tractors. Dive into the history of tractor development and see how the evolution of these farm implements has changed how we farm and made it possible to increase our crop yields.

The Web Soil Survey provides soil data and information for your specific area to help cater your soil lesson to your own community. Visit the website link below for instructions, then click on "Start WSS" to find your soil data.

This website can help teachers find scientific information on watersheds in their area. Use a mapping interface to locate your local watershed as well as find various other resources.

Do you know which country in the world consumes the most daily calories? Which country consumes the most bread or meat? View a series of pie graphs representing countries throughout the globe to answer these questions and more. Each graph displays the typical diet from that country broken down into food groups such as produce, dairy & eggs, meat, sugar & fat, and grains. You can also see how diets have changed from the year 1961 until the present.

Fruits, vegetables, and nuts are all considered produce. Producepedia is a website devoted to teaching about these important food crops. Find fun facts about various produce, learn about how and where it is grown, when it is in season, and watch videos from top chefs about how to cook and prepare the produce for eating.

The Cotton Campus is a digital simulation of a college university all about cotton. Begin with how cotton is grown and harvested and then continue your "education" to learn how the fibers are processed into fabric, how to wash and care for cotton fabric, and other fun facts.

Visit this website and click on your state to see statistics from the Economic Research Service and United States Department of Agriculture. State fact sheets provide information on population, employment, income, farm characteristics, farm financial indicators, and top commodities, exports, and counties for each state in the United States.