MAC Spring 2010 Newsletter
The education programs of Massachusetts Agriculture in the Classroom now reach more that 13,000 educators annually. Here are ten ways that farmers and teachers across the state support this small non-profit organization. Let us know your ideas for a great fund-raising event, in-kind donation or sponsor.
1. Make an unrestricted donation. The teachers who attend our programs and farmers whom we support through our outreach are our biggest contributors.
2. Spread the word to educators in your community about MAC’s educational programs including: workshops on the farm, conferences, a summer graduate course, educational newsletters, mini-grants and many website resources.
3. Host a workshop at your farm, agricultural business or school garden. Each year MAC offers 15 or more workshops for educators. Each provides an in-depth educational overview of one aspect of Massachusetts agriculture with related hands-on activities that help teachers take agriculture back to the classroom. Teachers also meet the farmer, tour the farm and learn about the work that takes place at that farm. Since 1996, MAC has offered more than 175 workshops on farms across the state.
4. Offer an educational presentation about some aspect of agriculture for teachers at one of MAC’s two annual Conferences for Educators or during one of our Seasonal Workshops on the Farm.
5. Sponsor one of our Annual Conferences or Seasonal Workshops on the Farm and help underwrite the costs: including speaker honorariums, farm lunches and educational materials. $250 will sponsors a workshop and $2,500 will sponsor a Conference. We’ll print your name and logo on all materials.
6. Sponsor a page in the 2011 Massachusetts Agriculture Calendar. MAC is the recipient of all funds raised through sponsored pages. The cost to sponsor a page is $250 and is available to any Massachusetts agricultural non-profit. Print a calendar sponsor form. Print a calendar sponsor form.
7. Make a plan to sell multiple copies of the 2011 Massachusetts Agriculture Calendar. MAC is the recipient of all funds raised through calendar sales. Calendars make a great gift or a fund-raiser to support your organization. Last year Advisor Cassie Uricchio and the 4-H students at Mount Everett High School in Sheffield raised more than $450 for their program and an equal amount for MAC by selling calendars as Christmas gifts. Plan a fund-raiser for your school and pre-order by June 30; calendars will be available in September. The cost to purchase the calendar is $10 for an individual copy and $5 for five or more. Print a calendar pre-order form.
8. Send a local teacher to one of our workshops or conferences. This past winter, the Westminster Agricultural Commission sent five teachers from the Ashburnham and Westminster schools to our Annual Winter Conference!
9. Sponsor a fund-raiser to benefit MAC, such as a hayride, farm tour or 10% contribution day at your farm or business. Allandale Farm in Brookline regularly sponsors a fall hayride for patrons as a benefit for MAC.
10. Donate an agricultural product to support a fund-raiser or educational event. Bliss Brothers Dairy in Attleboro donates a cart of ice cream each year which is sold to visitors at the Summer Festival at Tranquil Lake Nursery in Rehoboth. All proceeds benefit MAC. The Massachusetts Farm Bureau Federation designates MAC as one of the recipients of the proceeds at the auction that is held at their Annual Meeting.
It has been another busy year for Mass. Agriculture in the Classroom. Last June, the Board began the review of our mission and goals in an effort to plan for growth and the long-range future of the organization. We also took a closer look at our by-laws, which were written in 1984 as the organization was newly formed and our direction was not yet defined.
Treasurer Wayne Stuart took on the task of rewriting and updating our by-laws to better reflect the organization that we have become. The goal is to take us into the future with greater clarity. It has been a daunting task and we commend him for his hard work.
The Board has been hard at work organizing our education programs. Secretary Ken Oles and President Marjorie Cooper each taught a workshop at our annual winter conference. Rita Brennan Olson, Diane Baedeker Petit, Melissa Guerrero and Bobbie Oles also assisted by overseeing some of the twenty five different workshops that took place during the day.
Ken Oles will also be taking the lead with our Summer Graduate Course with Fitchburg State College. He’ll attend each workshop and administer an end of the day quiz. He’ll also assist teachers in making the curriculum connections. Past President John Lee of Allandale Farm will host a summer workshop and co-sponsor our Fall Conference for educators. Allandale Farm is located adjacent to the Clay Science Center in Brookline, where the conference will be held. Participants will have the opportunity to tour the farm.
We are pleased to report that the Whole Foods Stores in the North Atlantic Region joined together to sponsor our Fall “Greening the School” Conference for Educators with a donation of $2,500. A special thank you to Melissa Traverse, Marketing Team Leader from the Brighton Store for making the sponsorship possible.
We also thank Big Y Foods, Inc. of Springfield for the $1,000 contribution from the Big Y Paul H. D’Amour Memorial Charity Golf Outing. These funds supported our Winter Conference for educators.
Once again this summer, Mass. Agriculture in the Classroom is collaborating with Fitchburg State College to offer a three-credit graduate course. Using Massachusetts farms as their classrooms, teachers will participate in agricultural-literacy training through fun, hands-on study and investigation. The course also offers agricultural education resources to help enhance curricula and meet many MCAS requirements.
The Summer Graduate Course will meet on Tuesdays, June 29 and Wednesday August 18 at the Brigham Hill Community Farm in North Grafton from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Each participant must attend both sessions and also participate in six additional workshops during the summer, selected from approximately twelve workshops on a variety of topics in locations across the state.
Participants will keep a journal of their agricultural journey and develop a classroom project, which they will present to their peers on August 18. Farm workshops may cover topics such as nutrition; plant science; soils; water; economics; technology; agricultural-history; farm animals; energy; sustainable agriculture and more.
This course will assist new educators and those who want to expand their offerings to integrate agriculture into the classroom. Participants will learn to create community partnerships; link the classroom and the farm; expand math, science, social studies, art, nutrition and other educational knowledge using agricultural examples, and explore technology and engineering techniques.
The fee for this eight-day course is $500 and includes all materials; farm workshops; some meals and three graduate credits or 67 professional development points from Fitchburg State College. Click here for more information.
Roots play an essential role in the growth and vigor of a plant. They provide the anchor that keeps it from blowing or washing away. The roots support the stem and the vascular tissues that are continuous throughout the root to the stem. Roots absorb water and dissolved nutrients from the soil, transporting it through the vascular system to the rest of the plant for photosynthesis and transpiration. Roots also store sugars and carbohydrates that are used by the plant to survive winter and carry out other functions. Some roots can produce new plants.
When a seed germinates, the first structure to appear is a young root, known as the radicle. The radicle develops into the primary root. It grows downward in response to gravity, anchors the seedling and begins to absorb water and minerals. Depending on the type of plant, root development will then proceed into a tap root system or fibrous root system.
The taproot, which is characteristic of dicots, is an extension of the primary root of the young seedling. It grows into a single dominant root reaching deep into the soil to bring up water and nutrients. Smaller secondary roots support it. The taproot also expands in size and can become a storage site for sugars and starches.
In a fibrous root system the primary root is quickly displaced by numerous fine roots that develop from the base of the stem, with no single root dominating. Fibrous roots spread out to form a network of branching rootlets located close to the surface. Fibrous roots are more common than taproots and particularly good at holding soil.
Once the plant is established, additional roots, called adventitious roots may emerge from the stem. They help plants cling to surfaces and also search out nutrients. These roots attach climbing vines and support corn stalks, keeping them from being blown over by wind. Some tropical plants that grow on trees have spongy roots that are exposed to air. They absorb moisture and may contain chlorophyll. Some swamp-growing plants, such as mangroves develop breathing-roots that grow upwards into the air. Propagation of plants by cuttings relies on adventitious roots.
Many roots are further specialized to store sugars and carbohydrates. This helps them to survive the winter and have food available for the developing shoots in spring. Taproots, such as carrot and parsnip elongate to store food. Adventitious roots known as tuberous roots also serve as storage organs. The potato is an example.
Root Structure
Internally, there are three root zones. At the tip is the meristem, an area of rapid mitotic cell division that manufactures new cells for root growth. Behind the meristem is the zone of elongation. Cells absorb food and water to increase in size and elongate. As they grow, the root lengthens and is pushed downward. The zone of differentiation contains mature, specialized cells, such as epidermis, cortex or vascular tissue.
The epidermis is the outermost layer of cells surrounding the root, responsible for the absorption of water and minerals dissolved in water. Cortex cells are involved in the movement of water from the epidermis and in food storage. Vascular tissues conduct food and water through the xylem and phloem.
Externally, there are two areas of importance: the root cap and the root hairs. The root cap is a mass of actively dividing cells at the root’s outermost tip. It protects the root tip or meristem (growing point) during its passage through the soil. Its flattened and hardened cells are constantly sloughed off and replaced by fresh cells as they force their way through the soil. Cells formed just behind the tip lengthen rapidly and push the tip further into the soil with considerable force. The root cap is able to guide the root growth direction by sensing gravity. Dead root cap cells are shed ahead of the root tip, making a pathway that allows the delicate root to work its way through the soil. Old cap cells may also lubricate the tip as it grows downward.
Root hairs are tiny, delicate, elongated epidermal cells that occur in a small zone just behind the root’s growing tip. Auxin, a plant growth hormone, concentrates in the root hairs and causes these cells to divide and grow larger. They penetrate the soil, increasing the root’s surface area and absorbing water and nutrients. Each root hair is a single cell and has only a brief existence. As the root pushes downward, hairs in the growing region are sheared off and quickly replaced with new hairs.
Water and Oxygen
In typical soil, water is available to plants mostly as a thin film surrounding each microscopic soil particle. Root hairs absorb this water through osmosis when they grow into the vicinity of the soil particle. The liquid inside the root hairs is a rather strong solution of sugars and mineral salts. In the soil, the water is a weak solution of mineral salts. The outer skin of the root hairs is a semipermeable membrane, that allows weak solutions to pass through into strong ones. So long as the solution inside the root hairs is stronger than outside, they will take in water.
Molecule by molecule, water diffuses through the root hair’s cell membrane. The absorbed liquid passes from cell to cell to the center of the root. It is then carried up to the above-ground parts of the plant through slender tubes called xylem. The movement of fluids from the root hairs to the xylem can occur through one of two conductive pathways. Water may travel along cell walls through intercellular spaces from the root surface to the core in a method known as apoplast. The symplast route moves fluids through the cells, via channels that connect their content.
Roots require a flow of oxygen into the soil and a flow of their respiration product (mostly carbon dioxide) out of the soil. Compacted soils resist air flow, making it difficult for many plants to thrive. In water-logged soils, the spaces that would normally hold air are filled with water.
Optimizing Growth
Some roots have a naturally occurring symbiotic relationship with certain mycorrhizal fungi. The association is beneficial to both organisms and improves the plant’s ability to absorb water and nutrients. Symbiotic nitrogen fixation occurs in plants such as legumes that harbor nitrogen-fixing bacteria within their tissues.
The depth and spread of roots will vary with the growth characteristics of the plant and the texture and structure of the soil. As plants become established, the root system develops laterally and can extend far beyond the spread of the branches. Roots will penetrate much deeper into a loose, well-drained soil than a heavy, poorly drained soil and may be restricted or stopped completely by a dense compacted soil layer.
When transplanting, the root hairs are easily torn off or may dry out in the sun. When the root hairs are broken the plant will have difficulty meeting its water needs. Replant into soil as quickly as possible. Water well to keep the soil cool and allow root hairs to adhere to soil particles. Keep the plants out of bright sunlight for several days.
Vegetative propagation is the growing of an entirely new plant from a root, stem or leaf of an already existing plant. The new plant inherits the same genes as the old plant. In each case the new plant is successfully propagated when it can support itself on its own root system and is able to produce food through photosynthesis.
Divisions: Plants with multiple crowns (stems) can be propagated by removing additional stems from the parent plant to produce a new plant called a division. Take a knife and cut through the soil and root from the side dividing the plant into two, three or more different plants. Repot each new plant, tamp the soil around the roots and water well.
Rhizomes are modified stems that produce new plantlets. If they occur above grown they are know as runners and below grown as stolons. Detach the young plantlet from the mother plant by breaking the rhizome. Transplant into soil, tamp down the soil and water well. Roots will develop and the young plant will grow.
Stem Cuttings: A stem cutting is one in which new roots, stems and leaves are generated from a stem. The root develops first, usually in two or three weeks, followed by stem and leaf. After that the young plant will need good light, so that it can photosynthesize and make its own food.
Choose a stem of new growth approximately three inches long with four-to-six leaves. Cut the stem off from the plant, just above a point where two shoots divide. Remove the lower leaves from the stems, so that you can insert it into the soil to 1 to 1 ½ inches deep. Pack the soil tightly and water. A rooting hormone can be used to root the new soft tissue of the stems of woody plants.
Leaf Cuttings can be made from most succulents. Roots develop naturally when the leaves of these plants fall to the ground. This allows the leaves to root into the ground and grow into a whole new plant. Remove a leaf from a succulent. Fill a pot with soil or perlite. Push the bottom of the leaf about ⅓ of the way into the soil. The leaf will root within a few weeks and a whole new plant will grow.
Leaf Petiole Cuttings: The leaf petiole is the stem of the leaf. An African Violet can be propagated from just a leaf and a leaf petiole. Break the whole leaf and its petiole from the plant. Fill a pot with soil. Push the leaf petiole and the bottom ¼ of the leaf into the soil and water well. A new plant will develop from the point where the leaf and the petiole join.
All organisms need nitrogen in order to produce complex organic molecules such as amino acids, proteins and nucleic acids. Approximately 80 percent of the atmosphere is nitrogen gas (N2). However, nitrogen gas is unusable by most living organisms. The nitrogen molecule must be broken apart so that its atoms can combine with other atoms. Plants then take up nitrogen in two solid forms NH4+ and NO . Animals get their nitrogen by consuming living or dead organic material.
The nitrogen molecule is quite inert, so a substantial amount of energy is required to break it apart, a process known as nitrogen fixation. The nitrogen gas in the atmosphere may be converted through three processes: atmospheric, industrial and biological fixation. Atmospheric fixation occurs when lightning breaks the molecules, enabling them to combine with oxygen and then dissolve in rain. It accounts for 5-8 percent of available nitrogen. Industrial fixation occurs under great pressure at a temperature of 600°C with the use of a catalyst. The nitrogen gas and hydrogen are combined to form ammonia (NH3) and used directly as a fertilizer or further processed to urea and ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3).
Biological nitrogen fixation accounts for the majority of the nitrogen that is available for plant and animal growth, changing inert N2 to useful NH3. The process is carried out naturally in the soil by blue-green algae; lichens; bacteria that live freely in soils and water, and bacteria that establish symbiotic relationship with plants and animals. Scientists estimate that 140 million metric tons of nitrogen is added globally to ecosystems every year by biological fixation.
The nitrogen is stored in living and dead organic matter and passes from organism to organism through the food web. At each trophic level, their metabolism produces organic nitrogen compounds that return to the environment, chiefly in excretions. Decomposers break down the molecules in excretions and dead organisms into ammonia. Ammonia can be taken up directly by plants through their roots. However, most of the ammonia produced by decay is converted into nitrites and eventually nitrates by nitrifying bacteria.
Nitrates are very soluble and easily lost from the soil system by leaching. Some leached nitrates flows through rivers to the oceans. There they are converted to nitrogen gas by bacteria in a process called denitrification. They then return to the atmosphere and complete the cycle.
Nitrogen fixing bacteria call Rhizobium form symbiotic relationships with plants in the legume (pea) family. Each is able to survive independently, but life together is beneficial to both. The bacteria cannot fix atmospheric nitrogen until they invade the roots of the appropriate legume.
Once the bacterium invades the root it multiplies. The plant supplies the nutrients and energy. A nodule forms within a week. Young nodules are white or gray inside and do not fix nitrogen. As they age, they turn pink or reddish in color, indicating the start of nitrogen fixation. Nodules on perennials are long-lived and fix nitrogen through the entire season, so long as conditions are favorable. Nodules on annuals are short-lived and will be replaced constantly.
Some legumes are better at fixing nitrogen than others. Common beans are poor fixers, alfalfa and clover are better. Almost all of the fixed nitrogen goes directly into the plant. Little leaks into the soil for a neighboring non-legume plant. However, nitrogen eventually returns to the soil for use by other plants, when legumes die and decompose, if the legumes are turned into the soil.
Some herbaceous plants have underground stems. They are actually stems, even though they resemble roots, because of their function in the plant’s life. Tubers, corms, bulbs and rhizomes are all underground stems.
Tubers are enlarged underground stems that store food. The potato is an example. It has scattered eyes called nodes, that are really buds. Roots, stems and leaves can grow from these eyes. We eat the stored food in the potato and the young plant also uses the stored food to grow and develop.
Corms are short, thickened under-ground stems that store food and form the buds for next years growth. Corms remain dormant underground during the winter. At the top of the corm is a bud, from which the leaves and flowers will grow in the spring. The plant feeds on the stored food inside the corm, causing it to shrivel away. Once the leaves are established they provide food for a new corm that forms over the old exhausted one. The gladiolus and crocus are corms.
A bulb is also a short thickened stem that stores food. Inside there are many white, fleshy, modified leaves arranged in a circular pattern, as in the onion, hyacinth, tulip and daffodil. These leaves contain stored food. At the center is a bud from which a sprout will grow and produce leaves and flowers. The young plant uses the stored food until it can photosynthesize and make its own food. The new plant stores food in the bulb, which will remain dormant underground through the winter until it sends up new shoots next spring.
Rhizomes are stems that grow horizontally below the ground. They also store food. The rhizome has a structure similar to an aerial stem and includes, buds, nodes and scale like leaves. New plants sprout up along the rhizome. When rhizome-like stems grow above the ground they are called runners. Since rhizomes have buds, they can be planted and grow into independent plants. Ginger, iris, lily-of-the-valley, ferns and some grasses have rhizomes.
Roots Benefit the Soil
Plant roots grow in the soil and they also contribute to the soil. They provide aeration, organic humus, erosion control and even assist in breaking the rock substrate to form the mineral aspects of soil. When the roots are alive, they aerate and loosen the soil as they grow, providing tunnels for burrowing insects. When dead, decomposed roots contribute to organic humus in soil, providing nutrients for decomposers and new plants.
The billions of root hairs on the roots of plants form a network with a tenacious hold on the soil that protects it from erosion by wind and water. When land is stripped of plants, soil that has taken thousands of years to form, can easily be blown or washed away. Farmers plant a cover crop when they harvest the fields to protect and hold the soil
Roots also assist in soil formation. As roots grow they exert a powerful force that can crack sidewalks, pipes and even rocks. Plants then grow through the cracks in rocks, breaking off tiny pieces which further break down to form soil.
Some roots can dissolve rock. The root hairs sometimes give out substances in solution. If the root meets a hard substance like marble, which is insoluble in water, the root hairs will give off carbon dioxide. When mixed with water, this carbon dioxide acts on the calcium carbonate in the marble and turns it into soluble sodium bicarbonate, which the root can then absorb to support plant growth.
Many vegetables are cultivated for their edible roots, including those grown in our temperate gardens and fields and those that are best grown in the tropics or subtropics. Root crops have a large water content and grow best in deeply cultivated soil with thorough cultivation.
Vegetables that are grown for their edible roots include: beet; carrot; celeriac (celery root); Jerusalem artichoke; jicama; parsnip; radish; rutabaga; sweet potato; tannia (malanga); taro (dasheen); tropical sweet potato (batatas); turnip, and yuca (cassava).
Some root vegetables, especially, beets, carrots and turnips are also grown for livestock feed.
Spices are seasonings obtained from different parts of the plant and used for flavor, color or as a preservative. Spices that are derived from roots include: angelica; galangal; horseradish; sweet flag and turmeric.
Peanuts, potatoes, onions, garlic, leeks and ginger are not roots even though they look like roots. Most are actually underground stems, and in the case of peanuts, the fruit.
Natural plants and roots can be used to dye muslin, silk, cotton and wool. White or pastel fabrics dye best. A mordant is often added to bind the dye to the fabric. Different mordants, such as alum, iron, tin and vinegar produce different colors using the same plants. Chop plant parts into small pieces and place in a pot with twice as much water. Bring to a boil. Simmer for about an hour. Strain and add the fabric to be dyed. Rinse in cool water until water runs clear.
- Barberry root: greenish-gold
- Bloodroot: golden orange to red
- Beet root: dark brown with FeSO4
- Butter dock root: saffron yellow
- Carrot root: orange
- Cherry root: blue-purple
- Curly dock root: saffron yellow
- Dandelion root: brown; magenta when used with alum, and purple when used with tin and vinegar
- Dock root: bright yellow color.
- Iris root: gray to black
- Mullein root: yellow
- Plantain root: green
- Plum root: salmon on wool with alum
- Red cedar root: purple
- Sorrel root: dark green
- Wild plum root: reddish or rusty brown
- Yellow dock root: brown
Make a root view box to watch how roots grow.
- Cut off the top of a milk carton and punch a few holes in the bottom for drainage. Cut a window in the side, leaving a ½ inch margin all the way around the window.
- Cut a sheet of glass, clear acrylic or clear plastic to fit the inside of the window. Glue or tape the plastic to the inside of box. Let it dry completely.
- Fill the box with potting soil. Plant seeds of carrots, radishes or other root vegetables right up against the side of the box where the window is located. Provide water and good light.
- Set the carton on a pan or tray to catch extra water, then water the seeds well. Put a bit of cardboard under the bottom of the box on the side opposite the window to tilt the box slightly, so the roots will grow right up against the window. Cover the window with black paper and take off to view the roots.
- Cover the window with black paper. Remove the paper when you want to view the roots.
- Place a sweet potato in a glass jar, supported by toothpicks and watch the roots grow.
- Grow the tops from any root crop such as carrots, beets or parsnips. Cut off the leafy top and a bit of the root and plant in soil. Water and watch them grow.
- Grow peas or beans. Look for root nodules containing nitrogen fixing bacteria. How do the nodules change over time?
- Discuss the extent of underground roots. Go outside with the class and form a circle around a large tree. How far might the roots extend? Face the tree trunk; hold hands and walk backwards. When you can see the sky above, you have reached the drip line. Ask the class to draw pictures of the tree, imaging the roots as well as treetop.
- Make a root vegetable soup or salad. Look closely at each ingredient and discuss whether or not it is a root.
Massachusetts Flower Growers’ Association
8 Gould Road
Bedford, MA 01730-1241
781-275-4811
www.massflowergrowers.com
Massachusetts Nursery & Landscape Association
P.O. Box 387
Conway, MA 01341
www.mnla.com
Backyard Nature
www.backyardnature.net/roots.htm
www.backyardnature.net/econitro.htmBotany at University of Arizona
http://ag.arizona.edu/pubs/garden/mgBotany - Plant Parts
www.botanical-online.com/raizangles.htm
Natural Dyes
Oregon State Extension Course
http://extension.oregonstate.edu/mg/Teacher Resources
www.theteachersguide.com/plantsflowers.htm
Books
Plant Parts (The Life of Plants) by Richard Spilsbury and Louise Spilsbury, 2008.
Amram Eshel, Tom Beeckman, Yoav Waisel and Uzi Kafkafi.Roots (Plant Parts series) by Vijaya Bodach. Brown and Kelly, 2008.
What Do Roots Do? by Kathleen V. Kudlinski, 2007.
The information from this newsletter was taken from the resources listed above.
Workshops and Conferences
Join us for one of more of our summer workshops and gain knowledge and resources while you explore local farms. Workshops runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., offer classroom-ready activities and focus on unique aspects of agriculture with exploration of the work that takes place at each farm. The fee of $30 includes pdp’s, lunch and materials. Click here for full descriptions of each of these workshop, registration information and six additional workshops that will be held this summer.
Wednesday, June 30th takes us to Greenwood Hill Farm in Hubbardston where we’ll spend the day focusing on sheep and wool. Andrea and Tom Colyer have been raising Merino sheep at the farm for over twenty years. The educational program will include an overview of sheep history and breeds, a farm tour, lunch and an overview of wool from sheep to yarn, including scouring, carding, spinning and dying of the wool with related activities.
Spend, Thursday, July 8th at Mann’s Cranberry Farm in Buzzard’s Bay exploring cranberries, bogs and wetlands. We’ll spend the morning learning about cranberry bogs and farming and the new on-line curriculum, with Dawn Gates-Allen, Communications Manager for the Cape Cod Cranberry Growers Association. In the afternoon, well tour this 480 acre cranberry farm with 145 acres of bogs and associated wetlands and uplands with fourth generation cranberry farmer Keith Mann.
Sky Dance Farm in Lanesborough sits at the top of two watersheds at the foot of Mt. Greylock. Owners Prudy and Bob Barton work this small farm part time, raising organic eggs and several heritage breeds of animals such as Navajo-Churro Sheep, Buff Orpington chickens and Tamworth pigs. Prudy is also the librarian at the local elementary school. On Thursday, July 15th, investigate farm agricultural literacy and connections to agriculture from the farm to the classroom including watersheds, embryology and the history of these unusual sheep.
Indian Head Farm in Berlin has been in the Wheeler family for seven generations, producing various crops over the years including hops, asparagus, grapes, dairy and hay. They now focus on small fruits, mixed vegetables, flowers and production of jams, pickles and relishes. Spend Thursday July 22 with teacher Jean Hill, learning how to write fictional characters to teach fun math, science and English lessons aligned to the Frameworks. Then tour the farm with owners Timothy Wheeler and Janet Woodward.
On Tuesday, July 27th visit Trolley Crossing Farm in Bellingham, to explore this 17-acre community supported agriculture farm that specializes in vegetables, herbs, honey and lamb. Focus on beekeeping and pollination with activities in the morning with Ken Oles, beekeeper, and retired teacher. Following a farm lunch, investigate this two year old CSA with vegetables, herbs, honey and lamb with owners Donna and Bob Galipeau.
Travel to Tranquil Lake Nursery in Rehoboth on Tuesday, August 10th to learn about herbs and nurseries. Debi Hogan will introduce a variety of herbs for the classroom and school garden, showing you how to propagate them. Try out some activities that are sure to be a hit with students. Then take a closer look at plants that will attract and support wildlife. Nursery owners Warren Leach and Phil Boucher will also offer an overview of the nursery industry, the fields filled with 3,600 varieties of daylilies, the gardens and a garden design business.
Fall Conference for Educators
MAC Classroom is now planning our 2nd annual Fall Conference for Educators focusing on “Greening the School.” It will be held on Saturday, November 6th at the Clay Science Center of the Dexter and Southfield Schools in Brookline. The school borders Allandale Farm where tours will be offered during the morning. Four workshop sessions will offer a choice of five concurrent workshop focusing on school gardening, composting, recycling, natural resource conservation and other green topics. The fee is $50 and includes lunch, all materials and ten professional development points with a related classroom activity. We thank the Northeast Region Whole Foods Stores for sponsoring the conference. Click here for a more details.
National Agriculture in the Classroom Conference
Mark Your Calendar! The 2010 National Agriculture in the Classroom Conference will be held June 24-26 in Baltimore, Maryland at the Marriott Renaissance Harborplace Hotel. The theme this year is: Pioneers of Ag: Sailing Into the Future. The conference includes a variety of hands-on workshops and mini-workshops; make-and-take sessions and tours. Find information on the program and registration at www.agclassroom.org.
2010 Massachusetts Agriculture Photo Contest
Send in your photo to the Massachusetts Agriculture Calendar Photo Contest. Photos must be at least 4” by 6” and no larger than 8” by 10” and must have been taken in Massachusetts in the past three years. Send photos of local rural scenes, farm animals, renewable energy on the farm or produce by June 1 to Photo Contest, Mass. DAR, 251 Causeway Street, Suite 500, Boston, MA 02114. The twelve winners will be featured in the 2011 Mass. agriculture calendar and will be posted on their website. Photos must be at least 4” by 6” and no larger than 8” by 10” and must have been taken in Massachusetts in the past three years. Send photos of local rural scenes, farm animals or produce by June 1 to Photo Contest, Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources, 251 Causeway Street, Suite 500, Boston, MA 02114. The entry form can be found on-line at http://www.mass.gov/agr/massgrown/docs/photo_contest_entry_2010.pdf. For more information, call Rick LeBlanc at 617-626-1759 or send an e-mail to Richard.LeBlanc@state.ma.us. For more information visit www.mass.gov/agr/.
- May 29-30, 36th Sheep & Woolcraft Fair, Cummington Fairgrounds, $8 per car. Visit www.masheepwool.org.
- July 17th, Summer Festival, Tranquil Lake Nursery in Rehoboth. Food Sales support MAC. Call 508-252-4002 or visit www.tranquil-lake.com.
- August 13-15, 36th Annual NOFA Summer Conference at UMass, Amherst, visit www.nofa.org.
- September 17th through October 3rd, Eastern States Exposition in West Springfield. For information visit www.thebige.com.
- September 27th to October 1st, Massachusetts Harvest for Schools Week 2010, visit www.mass.gov/agr/markets/Farm_to_school/.
- October 2-3, North Quabbin Garlic & Arts Festival, Orange, $5 adults, visit www.garlicandarts.org.
- November 6-7, 1st Annual Fiber Festival of New England, Eastern States Fairground in West Springfield, visit www.masheepwool.org.
- “Apple Tree Grafting and Pruning Videos,” can be found on-line at the New England Apple Growers Association website at www.newenglandapples.org.
- “Massgrown Farm Products, Specialty Foods, & Fun Ag-Tivities” on the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources website at www.mass.gov/agr/massgrown/producetips.htm.
- “Educating About Agriculture” resources from the American Farm Bureau at www.ageducate.org.
- A variety of great “Agricultural Lesson Plans” available from the Michigan Dept. of Agriculture, visit www.michigan.gov/mda and click on Reference.
- “Garden Based Lessons” from City Sprouts, at www.citysprouts.org/ResourceSection/rsTOC.htm.
- “Dig In! Hands-On Soil Investigations” and other resources from USDA NRCS at www.nrcs.usda.gov/feature/education/.
- Pollinator Education Links from the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation at www.xerces.org/educational-resources/.
- List of Mass. Agricultural Fairs at www.mass.gov/agr/fairs.
Mission: Massachusetts Agriculture in the Classroom is a non-profit 501 (c)(3) educational organization with the mission to foster an awareness and learning in all areas related to the food and agriculture industries and the economic and social importance of agriculture to the state, nation and the world.
