Ag-in-the-Classroom

Established in 1985, New York Agriculture in the Classroom (NYAITC) is a partnership of Cornell University, the NYS Department of Ag & Markets, the NYS Education Department, Cornell Cooperative Extension, and the New York Farm Bureau.  Its mission is to foster awareness, understanding, and appreciation of how we produce food and fiber, what we eat, and how we live, by helping educators, students, and their communities learn about and engage with agriculture and food systems. 

NY Ag Literacy Week: March 20-24,2023

New York Ag-in-the-Classroom and the Cornell Cooperative Extension 4-H program invite you to be a reader for the annual Agriculture Literacy Week to be held March 20-24, 2023.  Last year, 2000 books were donated to school or classroom libraries and books were read by volunteers to thousands of second graders throughout New York State.

"Tomatoes for Neela is truly a celebration of food and family. Paired with Juana Martinez-Neal's illustrations, which adds warmth and softness to the story, Lakshmi's storytelling shows how food can bring different generations together as well as provide opportunities for children to learn about different cultural traditions. This story encourages getting children into the kitchen at an early age so that they can not only develop a good relationship with food, but learn about math, geography, history, food sustainability, and about where our food comes from."

Contributing nearly $2.4 billion to the state gross domestic product and covering approximately 7.3 million acres, agriculture is vital to New York State. The New York Agriculture in the Classroom Program is excited to feature a book that displays the unique markets and diversity that encompasses many aspects of New York's agriculture while also focusing on food production and how consumers contribute to agriculture.

Volunteer

Volunteers will visit local elementary schools during Ag Literacy Week to read and talk to children about New York's agriculture industry.  At the conclusion of the day's activities, the book will be donated to the school library for students and teachers to use throughout the school year.  2nd grade teachers and volunteers who are interested in participating in NY Ag Literacy Week should call or email the contact for this page. Visit the New York State Ag in the Classroom website to learn more about statewide activities and to learn about agriculture-themed books that have been featured in other years.

Last updated February 27, 2023