Lake Land College is offering three opportunities this summer for educators to learn more about the ag industry. Ag Institutes are designed for K-12 educators to learn about the wide impact agriculture has on our daily lives. By touring ag businesses and farms, meeting with industry professionals and engaging in hands-on activities, participants will gain firsthand knowledge they can share with their students as well as lesson plans relating to state of Illinois teaching standards.
Lake Land College agriculture instructors Jon Althaus, Ryan Orrick, and Dyke Barkley will teach and organize the Ag Institute tours and stops.
A few of the highlights for Ag Institute I are: tours of area farms, John Deere ride & drive, geothermal and wind turbine technology, a visit to Wolke Nursery, and Ag in the Classroom lesson plans and learning kits. This section meets June 6-8 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Lunch is provided.
Some of experiences in Ag Institute II are: a tour of the University of Illinois Veterinary School and Meats Lab, Condill’s Pumpkin Patch and Rockome Gardens, a visit with a local grape production farm and a few family farms. This section meets June 13-15 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Lunch is provided.
Ag III is a two-day intensive institute which introduces urban agriculture in the St. Louis area. On this trip you’ll explore the Missouri Botanical Gardens, and local greenhouses, tour Monsanto, and Purina Mills, and visit the Lock Dam and Danforth Center. This section meets June 21-22 from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Participants will travel to the St. Louis area for an overnight trip. Just like Ag I and II, grant funding will provide materials, transportation, lunch, and entrance fees. Hotel and evening meals are on your own.
Ag I and II will be held in the West Building, room 136 on the campus of Lake Land College. There is no cost to attend, however registration is required. To register, go to lakelandcollege.edu/as/ag/institute. For a paper registration form, contact Community and Professional Programs at 217-234-5087 or email vbales@lakelandcollege.edu.
