Free In-School & Virtual Field Trips
view our 2022-2023 brochure Schedule Ag in the Classroom
2022-2023 Ag Facts Calendar Calendar AgVenture Worksheet
Free School Presentations
Intro to Agriculture in Illinois
4th Grade
Free in-person or virtual live program will allow students to discover how Illinois agriculture production and processing meets the local and world demand for food, fiber and energy. Introduces basic agricultural information such as crops and livestock, agriculture’s important relationship with natural resources and the environment and the use of 21st century technology in farming today. Program lasts approximately 60 minutes.
There’s AG on My Plate
4th Grade
This free, in-person or virtual live follow-up to the Intro to Agriculture in Illinois program is designed to engage students in thoughtful discussion and activities connecting what farmers produce to the USDA MyPlate®. Program lasts approximately 60 minutes.
What's the Dirt on Illinois' Soil?
4th - 8th Grades
This free in-person program teaches students about the soils of Illinois and how nutrient-rich soil makes our state an agricultural powerhouse. Topics covered in the presentation include: earthworms, Illinois’ minerals and resources under our feet, ice ages creating Illinois’ flat prairies, the Dust Bowl, how plants require nutrients found in soil, how to prevent soil erosion, how to conserve soil, and more. Vocabulary, pre/post-test, and additional resources included. Program lasts approximately 60 minutes.
Bookmark Contest
Bookmark Contest 2023 judging is complete!
Apples & Pumpkins
Pre-K - 4th Grades
Apples and Pumpkins are always a good idea! Examine the growth and development of fall specialty crops. Program lasts approximately 30 minutes.
Keeping Warm this Winter
K - 4th Grades
From hot cocoa to warm woolen mittens this presentation explores the wonderful ways agriculture can keep us warm all winter. Program lasts approximately 30 minutes.
Presenters
Jim Bloomstrand
Agriculture has been Mr. Bloomstrand’s life-long focus; from growing up on a grain and livestock farm in East Central Illinois to receiving an Agriculture Engineering Degree from the University of Illinois.
Sarah Koukol
Mrs. Koukol is a certified teacher with 13 years of classroom teaching, most in fourth grade. During those years she taught about agriculture in her classroom and took workshops on agriculture from Ag in the Classroom.
Kathy Lesser
Mrs. Lesser was born in Chicago but has always had a love for farming.While in college she worked for the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and after college became a Kindergarten teacher in Chicago.
Linda Schaeffer
Mrs. Schaeffer is a certified teacher who has been attending Ag in the Classroom workshops for years. She has taught 1st grade and preschool for 18 years and became interested in teaching...
Wayne Kolweier
Mr. Kolweier grew up on a dairy and grain farm in southern Illinois and graduated from Southern Illinois University with B.S and M.S degrees in agronomy.
Michael Galassini
Mr. Galassini grew up in South Holland, IL, which was once dubbed the “Onion Set Capital of the World”, so he gained an appreciation for agriculture at an early age. After graduating from the University of Illinois with a BS in Mathematics he worked in the oil industry for 30 years.
Barbara Bhojraj
Barbara Bhojraj, or "Basia" as she is also called, hails from the Palos/Orland area where she resides with her husband, two sons, and two cats