Top 3 grade winners will receive $350 in prizes

MACON, Ga. – Georgia elementary classes in third through fifth grades are being challenged to put their science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) skills to work to explore the real-world issues involved with water conservation in local communities.

Elementary teachers and their students may enter the “Vermiculture: Wiggling into Ag” STEM Challenge Feb. 6 through April 28 for the chance to win a prize package totaling $350 for their class. The top grade winner from the third, fourth and fifth-grade entries will win a prize package. The winners will be announced via a Zoom presentation on May 5.

The statewide competition is presented by the Georgia Farm Bureau (GFB) Ag in the Classroom Program and the Georgia Foundation for Agriculture (GFA).

Teachers interested in participating in the “Vermiculture: Wiggling into Ag” STEM may visit www.gfb.ag/stemchallenge for more information and to register for the program. Once teachers register their class, they can access a digital resource toolkit that equips the class for participating in the water conservation STEM challenge.

Each participating class is being asked to answer the question “How can I create a worm farm to better my garden?”

The STEM challenge asks participating classes to complete the provided lesson plan and activities provided for the challenge and then create a video presentation no longer than five minutes that demonstrates what the class learned about improved gardens with the addition of a worm farm. Class presentations must be uploaded to YouTube for judging by April 28.

“We developed the STEM challenge to connect elementary students to Georgia agriculture. This spring, students have an opportunity to explore the importance of worms and explore the benefits they provide to our garden. This is such a fun, informative way to learn,” said GFA Educational Programs Assistant Hannah Hall.

The Georgia Ag Experience STEM Challenge is designed to be a bi-annual competition with a spring and fall contest. Georgia Farm Bureau’s Ag in the Classroom program is the 2023 challenge partner.

The purpose of the challenge is to encourage elementary teachers and students in grades 3-5 to explore aspects of Georgia agriculture by applying their STEM skills to solve real-world problems that farmers face in producing our food and fiber.

ABOUT THE GEORGIA AG EXPERIENCE: The GAE is a mobile classroom, created by the Georgia Foundation for Agriculture, housed in a 36-foot trailer that gives third through fifth-grade students and consumers a chance to virtually visit a poultry house, cattle pasture, stand of timber, horticulture nursery, cotton and peanut fields, and a produce stand full of fresh Georgia fruit, vegetables and pecans. Colorful farm photos, interactive technology and displays of products made from the various ag commodities highlight the importance of Georgia agriculture to our daily lives. All exhibits and lessons that are part of the GAE mobile classroom have been professionally designed to meet STEM curriculum standards.

The Georgia Ag Experience has been visiting schools statewide since 2021. Each year the mobile classroom travels across Georgia educating students on the importance of agriculture in their communities and the role agriculture could play in their future. For more information about the Georgia Ag Experience visit www.georgiaagexperience.org.

ABOUT THE GEORGIA FOUNDATION for AGRICULTURE: The Georgia Foundation for Agriculture is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization dedicated to preparing the next generation of leaders for success in Georgia agriculture. The GFA works with Georgia Farm Bureau and other Georgia agricultural and educational organizations to achieve its mission. The foundation offers scholarships to students pursuing agricultural careers, funds leadership development programs and projects that increase the public’s understanding of agriculture. To make a tax-deductible donation, learn more about the foundation or the scholarships, visit www.gafoundationag.org or contact Lily Baucom at info@gafoundation.org or 478-405-3461.

ABOUT GEORGIA FARM BUREAU AG IN THE CLASSROOM: The purpose of the Georgia Agriculture in the Classroom program is to increase agricultural literacy among children and consumers. It provides tools for effective teaching about agriculture and its role in our daily lives. The program assists Georgia educators in using agriculture-related concepts in the classroom. This mission is achieved through the activities of county Farm Bureau volunteers in their local communities and through teacher training courses held throughout the state. Learn more by visiting: https://www.gfb.org/ag-in-the-classroom/about