Colorado Science Convention

On Friday, November 19th, 2004, the agriculture community under the leadership of the Colorado Foundation for Agriculture hosted over 600 science educators to a pizza party. While the teachers enjoyed their lunch, representatives from various segments of agriculture community presented information about agriculture and educational resources that are available for them to use in their classrooms. The presentations included:

Things We Can Learn from A Cow and A Worm
Jody Davis from the Colorado CattleWomen shared how both earthworms and cattle play a positive role in the environment by recycling and reusing resources effectively. Classroom activities challenge students to consider good environmental stewardship in their daily lives.

Mini Greenhouses
Tom Fey from CSU Cooperative Extension presented an opportunity for students to learn the importance of plants to people, what plants need to live, and functions of plant parts. The program is designed for primary grades and includes kits and teacher guides. The seeds provided are Indian corn, Anasazi beans and sunflowers so teachers can relate to Native American social studies.

Irradiation
Jo Stanko from the Colorado CattleWomen explained that America has one of the safest food supplies in the world. Food irradiation is one more important tool for ensuring the safety of our food. This session provided the basics of food safety, the process of irradiation and products that are currently being irradiated.

Will the Dust Bowl Return to the Eastern Plains?
Artie Elmquist, Bob Clifton, Trish and Jerry Hergenreder from St. Vrain Young Farmers held a discussion on water issues facing Colorado's eastern plains.

Farming
Rob Sakata from Sakata Farms shared information about farming in Colorado, what it costs to improve water efficiency on the farm and some of the things agriculture producers are doing to improve production.

Science and Our Food Supply: Investigating Food Safety From Farm to Table
Presented by Julie Moore from the Beef Council, this exciting curriculum, was sponsored jointly by the National Science Teachers Association and the Food and Drug Administration. It includes an interactive video, "Dr. X and the Quest for Food Safety" and the comprehensive "Food Safety A to Z Reference Guide.”

Choices & Consequences
Heather August from CFA explained Choices and Consequences, a unique, interactive curriculum that teaches conservation, problem solving and decision-making, and provides opportunities for learning applications in the standards areas of economics, biology, geography and civics while learning about the watershed in which you live

What if We Were Naked and Hungry?
Laural Brownell, Colorado Young Farmers spokesperson of the year discussed how agriculture applies to educators and their students' lives every day.

Circle of Life
Teresa, Oriana and Darryl Beemer from Thompson Valley Young Farmers illustrate how to use sheep to define the circle of life! They will explain how the science of raising sheep and how that has evolved into a never ending circle of connections. The latest connection being with over 100 students knitting due to a community service project Oriana started at her Loveland high school.

Food, Land & People
Glenn Sanger and Dan Parker from Project Food, Land & People demonstrated how FLP helps minds grow by educating people about the connection among agriculture, the environment and people of the world.

Science on the Cob
Jared Fiel and Beth Weibert, Colorado Corn showed the many uses for corn: cereals, sweeteners, starch, etc. But grain corn is also on the cutting edge of many scientific advancements. Ethanol—produced primarily from corn—is a more powerful, cleaner and domestically manufactured fuel for vehicles throughout the country. The corn genome is one of the most studied and makes it a perfect area for genetic advancements to increase yields, dramatically reduces the need for pesticide spraying and can even for the manufacture life-saving pharmaceuticals.

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Check back for 2006 Science Convention details or e-mail bblinde@growingyour future.com