Sustainable Agriculture Curriculum for High School Educators Announced

Posted June 2005

student engaged in hands-on learningCIAS is proud to announce an invaluable resource for high school teachers. Toward a Sustainable Agriculture is a free curriculum that addresses the social, environmental and economic impacts of agriculture. The curriculum provides a critical analysis of agricultural and food systems and helps students understand new concepts through hands-on examples.

What is it?

The curruculum includes six modules, designed to be incorporated into existing classes:

  • Introduction to Sustainable Agriculture
  • Corn, Beans, and Burgers: Field Crops and Sustainable Agriculture
  • Fur, Feathers, and Fins: Animals in Sustainable Agriculture
  • Gifts from the Garden: Sustainable Horticulture (under construction)
  • The Challenge of Stewardship: Natural Resources Management (under construction)
  • A Growing Market: Organic Agriculture (under construction)

Each module will take 5 to 15 hours, depending on how much depth the teacher wants. Each module includes background information for the teacher, suggested classroom activities, evaluation materials, and suggestions on where to go for more information.

How do I get the curriculum?

You can access the curriculum on this web site: www.cias.wisc.edu/curriculum/index.htm. Or you can order a CD with the curriculum materials from CIAS. Call (608) 262-5200 or e-mail Trish Haza at phaza@wisc.edu for ordering information. The anticipated cost for the CD, including postage, is $5.00. Although a CD is convenient to use, it will not show future additions to the curriculum.

Where can I get more information?

Contact Diane Mayerfeld at dbmayerfeld@wisc.edu or (608) 262-8188.

The curriculum is being developed by the UW-Madison Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems, with financial support from the North Central Sustainable Research and Education Program.

Vegetable Storage Crops Workshop

Learn how to extend your marketing season by growing and selling winter storage crops like carrots, beets, winter squash, cabbage, potatoes, onions, garlic and more. This workshop will be held on December 4 in Hudson and December 11 in Madison. For details, see the workshop flyer. Hope to see you there!

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CIAS in the community

CIAS Hosts Annual Meeting of Eco-Apple Growers

On Thursday, November 12, CIAS hosted its annual meeting of apple growers engaged in its Eco-Apple pesticide reduction program. Notably, the group of 48 growers celebrated the successful completion of a six-year effort designed to reduce the use of pesticides on orchards throughout Wisconsin. During the course of the program, all reporting orchards demonstrated a reduced reliance on pesticides in favor of a diversity of IPM strategies, and some realized a near-total elimination of organophosphate applications. CIAS thanks its team of growers for their enthusiastic and committed participation. In particular, CIAS wishes to thank Dave Flannery, Wendy Schafer, Bill Stone and Anna Maenner for their fortitude in seeing this phase of the project through to a successful conclusion. UW rsearchers Dan Mahr, Patty McManus, Matt Stasiak and Teryl Roper have been critical to the project’s success. Thanks also to EPA-V and the USDA for their support and encouragement.

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