Cream of the Crop

February 2007

National Agriculture Week is March 18-24, 2007
A lot of work goes into getting our food from field to table. Plan to take some time during National Agriculture Week (specifically National Agriculture Day, March 21) to reflect on how fortunate we are to have such a productive and efficient agricultural system. Celebrate with these ideas and others in your community:

Essay Contest, Deadline: Feb. 19, 2007: "American Agriculture in 2025" is the theme for this essay contest for students in 7-12th grade. A winner in each state will receive $100. The national winner will receive $1,000 and a trip to Washington, D.C. to be recognized at a Capitol Hill luncheon on March 15, 2007. www.hpj.com/agdayessay
Napa County Farm Bureau A Day at the Farm, Mar. 16, 2007: This event is presented by Napa County's Ag in the Classroom program and the Napa County Ag Commissioner's office. Admission is free. For more information, contact Cheryl Lauritsen at 707/224-5403 x18.
California Agriculture Day at the Capitol, Mar. 20, 2007, 11:30 am - 2 pm: This year's theme is "Agriculture: Powering Our Future." The event will be held at the state capitol and will feature free agricultural products and information, livestock and school garden displays, a cooking demonstration, music by the California Cowboys, and special guest Shaun White, Olympic gold medalist snowboarder.
Sonoma County Farm Bureau Ag Days, Mar. 21-22, 2007: Schools are encouraged to take field trips for students to learn about farm animals, the source of their food, environmental studies, fiber, flowers, and more. Enter bookmark, essay, poster, farm art, mural, or photography contests.
Sonoma County Farm Bureau 707/544-5575.
CFAITC Celebration Dinner, Mar. 22, 2007: Enjoy dinner at the Tsakopoulos Library Galleria in Sacramento and help us recognize the winners of the Imagine this... Story Writing Contest and the students that worked to bring the stories to life in animation and support the Foundation at the same time. www.cfaitc.org
CFAITC Imagine this... Awards Ceremony, Mar. 23, 2007: Winning authors will see their stories brought to life when the Imagine this... video is premiered at the ceremony.
CFAITC Cruise, Mar. 31, 2007: Enjoy a luxury yacht cruise aboard the Wild Goose on a beautiful Newport Beach afternoon and support the Foundation at the same time! www.cfaitc.org

CFAITC Symposium - Save the Date!
Mark your calendars and plan to attend the CFAITC Symposium Oct. 12-14, 2007 at Asilomar Conference Grounds in Monterey County. Registration information will be available in the spring.

2007 Governor's Challenge Competition
California K-12 students are challenged to get and stay healthy and fit. Based on the results of the competition, 11 schools (one in each of the state's 11 regions) will receive $1,000 awards for physical activity equipment. The winning school will receive a new fitness center. To qualify as a regional or grand prize winner, schools must have a minimum enrollment of 100 students and log their active days from now until May 31, 2007 on the Governor's Council Web site. All students completing the challenge will qualify for a Governor's Council patch and certificate.
Sign up at www.CalGovCouncil.org. For more information, e-mail info@CalGovCouncil.org or call 310/689-0841.

The Watershed Project Workshops

More than Your Standard Garden Workshop ($25): Richmond, Feb. 19, 2007; Use your school garden as an outdoor classroom for science, math, or language arts.
Getting Started Garden Design ($25): Castro Valley, Feb. 24, 2007; Learn how to obtain and use recycled building materials in your garden and how to set-up your own drip irrigation system.
Kids in Gardens ($30): Menlo Park, Mar. 3, 2007; Learn the skills you need to propagate plants, improve your soil, reduce waste and pesticide use, conserve water, and create wildlife habitat.
Groceries from the Garden ($25): Hercules, Mar. 27, 2007; Richmond, Mar. 31, 2007; Discover how sustainable agriculture and locally grown food benefit the health of your students and the environment.

To register, visit www.thewatershedproject.org. For more information, contact Andrea Valverde at 510/665-3430.

Creating and Sustaining Your School Garden
Mar. 10, 2007 - Life Lab Garden Classroom, UC Santa Cruz
Mar. 24, 2007 - UC Davis Children's Garden Program at the Student Farm
Registration Deadline: Feb. 16, 2007
This free workshop coordinated by the California School Garden Network is for school garden teams of two to four people. Teams must include at least one teacher. Teams of more than three will receive a $100 gift certificate to a California Association Nursery and Garden Center retail store. Participants will share ideas for designing and using educational school gardens, practice basic gardening skills, learn tips for effective outdoor classroom management, understand the importance of teamwork to start and sustain a school garden, find out how to get more resources for successful school gardens, and begin to plan their school garden program.
To register, visit www.csgn.org/csysg.php. For more information, contact John Fisher at 831/459-4035.

A+ for Energy Grant and Scholarship Program
Deadline: Mar. 23, 2007
The A+ for Energy grant program provides $5,000 and $10,000 grants to K-12 teachers to assist them in teaching about energy and energy conservation. How does energy relate to ag? The food chain and food webs, solar energy for greenhouses or agricultural biomass as a fuel source could be the start of many ideas for creative ag-related projects.
For more information, visit www.aplusforenergy.com or call 877/243-6760.

Gardening with Class Conference
April 28, 2007, San Diego County
The eighth annual School Garden and Nutrition Conference at the Del Mar Fairgrounds is sponsored by the Garden-Based Learning Resource Center of San Diego County. Workshops will include starting a school garden program, grant writing, standards in the garden, and more! Also, take tours of local school gardens and have fun at the Make and Take sessions.
For more information, contact Krista Mendelsohn at 619/562-0096.