Agriculture in Your Life

Overview Students will practice word manipulation while categorizing sources of basic agricultural products. Lesson extensions provide additional opportunities for students to make real connections to agriculture. Suggested Grade Level 2-5 Estimated Time 20 - 30 minutes Objectives Students will be able to: 1. identify the original agricultural sources of basic everyday products produced around the United States. 2. identify food and fiber products outside traditional farming circles. Materials 1. Activity Sheets A, B, & C 2. Colored pencils or crayons Background Agriculture plays a major part in our lives: from what we wear, to what we use in our classes, and even to what we do after school. We may not always think of agricultural products as the physical source of the items or things we use everyday. However, most daily essentials can be traced back to an agricultural source. Production agriculture, or farming, is what most students think of when they hear the word agriculture. This is the actual production or growing of raw commodities. People who raise and harvest crops and livestock for consumption or purchase are typically categorized as farmers and ranchers. It doesnt stop there. Production agriculture also includes a variety of specialties, such as fish, timber, fur-bearing animals, trees, shrubs, flowers, herbs and much more. Most of the products we use everyday come from agriculture. The sheets we sleep on and the pajamas we wear are made from cotton, just like Q-tips for your ears. The feathers in pillows may come from chickens or ducks. The cereal and
USDA Ag in the Classroom- www.agclassroom.org Agriculture in Your Life-Grades 2-5: T-1

milk we eat for breakfast; the pencils, crayons, and paper that we use at school; and the baseballs, bats and gloves we use after school all originate from raw agricultural products. We know that our food comes from agriculture, but we are surrounded by and reliant upon many agricultural products the whole day through. Vocabulary/Glossary agriculture farming; the science, art and business of cultivating the soil, producing crops and raising livestock useful to people. cotton the soft, white seed hairs, which fill the seed pod of the cotton plant. crops agricultural products, growing, harvested, or collected; for example, wheat, cotton, fruit, honey. dairy cows cows raised mainly for the production of milk for dairy products. farmer a person who earns a living by farming, especially one who manages or operates a farm. forestry the science of systematic forest management for the production of timber, conservation, recreation, and wildlife. flowers plants cultivated for their blossoms; flowering plants. horticulture the art or science of growing flowers, fruit, vegetables, trees or shrubs. livestock domestic animals kept for use on a farm or raised for sale and profit. rancher a person living and working on a large farm raising livestock in large numbers. timber trees or forests collectively; wood suitable for building whether cut or still in the form of trees. wheat any of several cereal grasses having dense erect spikes containing grains which thresh free of chaff. Activity 1. Discuss background information, then hand out Activity Sheet A. Students should match the product with its agricultural source. Answer Key: Activity Sheet A timber paper, pencils, potpourri, houses dairy cow cheese, ice cream, yogurt cotton blue jeans, paper, shirts flower perfume, potpourri wheat spaghetti, tortillas, cereal 2. Discuss with students other products that come from agriculture. 3. Hand out Activity Sheet B. Discuss the vocabulary words and the boldfaced heading words listed to ensure that students understand them. 4. Review alphabetizing. Have students write the vocabulary words in alphabetic order on the lines under each heading. After students complete the exercise, they can complete the Word Find puzzle.
USDA Ag in the Classroom- www.agclassroom.org Agriculture in Your Life-Grades 2-5: T-2

Answer Key: Activity Sheet B crops corn, cotton, rice, soybean, wheat livestock beef cattle, dairy cattle, poultry, sheep, swine horticulture apples, flowers, trees, turf grass, vegetables dairy butter, cheese, ice cream, sour cream, yogurt 5. Have students work on Activity Sheet C. NOTE: Each commodity should have a different color dot and each commodity should be marked on the United States map with its designated color. Extensions 1. Adopt an Agriculturist Many teachers find it useful to have someone involved in production agriculture adopt their class. The students correspond regularly with the farmer or rancher and his/her family to practice writing skills and learn about the day-to-day operation of the farm or ranch. The family may send photographs or videotapes, grain or feed samples and other items from the farm or ranch. In turn, the students can write to the family to ask questions or react to what they have learned. (NOTE: Before students become involved, the teacher and the farm family need to set goals for the program. Establish a regular correspondence schedule to keep students interested. Try to get the farm family to visit the classroom, or schedule a student field trip to the farm.) 2. Have students look beyond Activity C and place answers on a larger wall map of the United States. Ask students to discuss agricultural products they know are grown in certain parts of the country. For example, Florida and California: citrus fruits; Gulf of Mexico: seafood. Why are these products produced in these locations? Have groups draw these products or cut out pictures from magazines to place on the classroom map. State rankings of various common commodities are available from the USDA website <www.usda.gov> 3. Have the class construct an occupation line showing how many people and different occupations are involved in delivering a raw product to the consumer (transportation, manufacturing, packaging, sales, stores, etc.) Use several products including some that the consumer uses fresh (fruit, beef or chicken) and some that are changed from the raw material (clothing, furniture).
Adapted from Food for America, National FFA Organization, P.O. Box 68960, Indianapolis, IN 46268-0999.

USDA Ag in the Classroom- www.agclassroom.org Agriculture in Your Life-Grades 2-5: T-3

Name _________________________

Activity Sheet A

Agriculture in Your Life

USDA Ag in the Classroom-www.agclassroom Agriculture in Your Life- Grade 2-5: S-1

Name _________________________

Activity Sheet B

Agriculture in Your Life

USDA Ag in the Classroom-www.agclassroom Agriculture in Your Life- Grade 2-5: S-2

Name _________________________ Where in the United States does your food come from? Where does your lunch come from?

Activity Sheet C

Most states produce their own milk, eggs, fruits, vegetables, and grains. Some states produce so much of a particular crop or animal that they have become famous for their particular products. Color each small circle on the legend with a different color and then color a small circle on the map to match the products of the most productive states in the United States. Mark each agricultural product with a different color. Many states will have more than one colored circle. Why are these products produced in these locations?

Legend O O O O O O O O O O O
Beef: Texas, Nebraska, Kansas, Colorado, Iowa, Oklahoma, and California.
Chickens: Arkansas, Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina, Mississippi, and Texas. Corn: Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Indiana, Minnesota, and Ohio. Dairy Products: Wisconsin, California, New York, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, and New England. Eggs: California, Georgia, Arkansas, Indiana, Pennsylvania, and Texas. Fruit & Vegetables: California, Florida, Arizona, Washington, New York, Georgia. Pork: Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska, Indiana, North Carolina, and Missouri. Soybeans, major oil crop used in salad dressings and mayonnaise: Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Indiana, Minnesota, and Ohio. Potatoes: Idaho, Washington, California, North Dakota, Maine, and Wisconsin. Tomatoes: Florida, California, Virginia, Ohio, Georgia, and Michigan. Wheat: North Carolina, Kansas, Montana, Oklahoma, Washington, and Minnesota

USDA Ag in the Classroom-www.agclassroom Agriculture in Your Life- Grade 2-5: S-3