From the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services:
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam celebrated Florida Agriculture Literacy Day on Tuesday by reading a new book on Florida farming to fourth graders from Governor’s Charter School in the historic Senate Chambers of the Old Capitol in Tallahassee.
“Florida Ag Literacy Day helps our next generation learn about the Floridians who provide everything from beef, pork and poultry to strawberries, oranges and corn to meet the needs of the world’s growing population,” said Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam.
Commissioner Putnam read the book as the children followed along with their own copies. The children talked about their favorite foods and completed craft activities, including a cotton ball sheep and a cow mask.
For the 12th Annual Florida Agriculture Literacy Day, Commissioner Putnam joined readers across the state, including Florida farmers, growers, ranchers, Florida Farm Bureau members, Florida Cattlemen and Cattlewomen members, FFA students and teachers, 4-H students and teachers, and University of Florida IFAS extension agents and master gardeners, who will read in honor of today’s event.
This year’s Ag Literacy book, Drive Through Florida: Livestock and Poultry, is the first book in a new series of non-fiction books that highlights the beef, dairy, equine, poultry, swine, goat and sheep industries in Florida. Volunteers will visit more than 2,400 elementary classrooms, reaching more than 48,000 Florida students in 52 counties around the state with the message of the importance of Florida agriculture.
Florida Ag Literacy Day is sponsored by Florida Agriculture in the Classroom Inc., a nonprofit organization that develops and trains teachers and agriculture industry volunteers in agriculture curriculum in order to educate students on the importance of agriculture. It also provides grant money to teachers and volunteers for projects that teach children where their food comes from and the importance of Florida’s farmers. The nonprofit is funded by sales of the specialty agricultural license plate known as the Ag Tag.
“Florida Agriculture Literacy Day has grown in popularity in our industry because it allows farmers and other agriculture industry representatives to visit elementary school classrooms around the state and educate students about the important role agriculture plays in students’ daily lives,” said Tamara Wood, chairman of the Florida Agriculture in the Classroom board of directors and a representative of Florida Citrus Mutual.
For more information on Ag Literacy Day and Florida Agriculture in the Classroom, please visit FlAgintheClassroom.com. For more information about the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, visit FreshFromFlorida.com.