S.D. Specialty Producers Association’s (SDSPA) Urban Ag Liaison, Malisa Niles, has developed a series of lesson plans that introduce several facets of specialty production for high school students.
The five areas covered in this series include:
- Lesson 1 – Overview of Urban Agriculture
- Lesson 2 – Plant Production
- Lesson 3 – Animal Agriculture
- Lesson 4 – Marketing
- Lesson 5 – A Future in Agriculture
Each lesson includes several components that will make this learning experience convenient for the educator as well as interesting and exciting for the student.
Components included are:
- A corresponding powerpoint presentation.
- Real life examples of the specific lesson.
- Detailed lists of the types of ag production methods identified in the lesson.
- Activities that can be performed in and out of the classroom.
- Resources for deeper investigation into the specific topic.
- Opportunities to use this lesson as part of a Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE), which is a required component of Future Farmers of America (FFA). SAE activities help students apply classroom principals in real-world settings and gain valuable skills in areas of agriculture that interest the student.
A specific mission of South Dakota Specialty Producers is to develop specialty production agriculture opportunities in South Dakota and to increase awareness and markets for local foods.
Niles would love to visit with educators about incorporating specialty production into their classrooms. If you have questions on the lesson plans, incorporating specialty production into your curriculum or would like Niles to visit your classroom or homeschool co-op, please contact her at sdspa.urbanag@gmail.com.