AITC-C NEWSLETTER | APRIL 2021 |
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Agriculture in the Classroom Canada (AITC-C) has been full of activity this year - launching resources, welcoming new foundational partners, and celebrating 10 years of Canadian Agriculture Literacy Month. Read on to learn more! |
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thinkAG.ca launches to help students find their
purpose-driven career
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We are excited to announce the launch of thinkAG.ca, a new website aimed at getting middle years to high school students curious about careers in Canada’s agriculture and food sector.
The interactive website takes students on a journey to discover how their interests match up with careers in agriculture and food. Showcased by over 70 career profiles, thinkAG highlights the diversity of jobs that exists along the agricultural value chain Students will also have access to information about post-secondary options and scholarship opportunities.
“This is the first website of its kind in Canada – guiding students to uncover how their futures can fit into the agriculture industry,” said Shayla Hertz, AITC-C’s thinkAG Manager. “We need to help students see themselves, and how their skills fit, in agriculture and food. We want them to know that people who have not grown up on a farm or with an ag background are often the most valuable additions to agriculture because they question the status quo. New and fresh perspectives are needed in an industry that’s forever growing in complexity and vital to feeding our world.”
Right now in Canada, there are more jobs in agriculture than there are people to fill them. This website is a revolutionary tool that helps students to recognize how their interests and skills fit into the agriculture sector – rather than the other way around - and promotes finding meaningful careers in Canadian agriculture and food. Explore the website at thinkAG.ca.
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Scholarship Opportunity
Do you know a Canadian student with a bright idea for the future of agriculture?
The G3 Grow Beyond Scholarship is back for another year and graduating students have until April 30th to apply.
To apply, graduating students must submit a 2 to 4 minute video sharing their aspirations for innovative ideas for Canadian agriculture - no matter their discipline or field of study.
Six scholarships of $4,000 are available, with an additional $1,000 going to each of the winners' high schools! Apply at G3GrowBeyond.org.
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THANK YOU FOR A MEMORABLE CALM! |
Thank you to everyone who contributed to making the 10th Anniversary of Canadian Agriculture Literacy Month (CALM) a huge success!
From our provincial members working directly with teachers, to the agriculture sector, to the volunteers virtually visiting classrooms, and to our many partners who supported us - thank you!
We know CALM looked a little different this year, but your excitement for agriculture education and our theme of 'Our Food, Our Story' helped to make our 10th anniversary of CALM an extraordinary experience. In addition to daily videos celebrating CALM across Canada, we made this video to highlight the last ten years of this amazing initiative. We got to hear from the people that made CALM possible, including ours presenting sponsors, Cargill and Corteva Agriscience, and our founding sponsor, Farm Credit Canada.
Thank you to every single person who helped us reach more than 315,000 students during CALM over the last ten years!
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Release of the Canadian Agriculture Education Impact Framework Report
After impact consultations with stakeholders in all 10 provinces, AITC-C released the Canadian Agriculture Education Impact Framework Report which outlines how a 'think, know and feel' - themed framework. This will guide AITC’s successful learning approach taken with students (think), by connecting agriculture concepts to provincial education outcome areas (know), while embracing the important role Canadians can play as a participant in the food system (feel).
We are encouraged and motivated by the input into the framework, gathered from more than 400 stakeholders who participated in provincial sessions from coast to coast. Thank you to all those who participated in the 10 provincial sessions. View the full report here.
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Agriculture in the Classroom Canada receives $1.6 million from AAFC
On March 1, 2021, the Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, announced $1.6 million in funding to AITC-C over two years under the AgriCompetitiveness Program.
This funding will be matched through our donors and foundational partners.
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Bayer supports AITC-C in national 'Business of Food' expansion
AITC-C is set to expand The Business of Food (BOF) program nationally, thanks to a $450,000 multi-year partnership from Bayer CropScience Canada. Originally developed provincially by AgScape, BOF is a comprehensive e-learning platform aimed at bringing knowledge about food and agriculture to education professionals.
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Nutrien partners to expand Journey 2050 & Farmers 2050 |
We are excited to announce that Nutrien is joining AITC-C as a foundational and educational partner, and helping to expand the Journey 2050 program which takes students on a virtual farm simulation that explores world food sustainability.
With their support, AITC-C will develop Journey 2050 guest speaker presentation, new resources, and the inclusion of Farmers 2050 to all the participating Journey 2050 classrooms! Learn more the partnership here.
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AITC-C has established a Board Advisory Committee and welcomed its 7 appointees: Agassou Jones (NS), Becky Parker (BC), Kelly Green (MB), Lindsey Verhaeghe (AB), Nadine Sisk (ON), Teresa Vallotton (MB) and Trish Jordan (MB).
These appointed agriculture sector professionals will support us as volunteers with external perspective and expertise, and help guide our quest to achieving AITC's vision and goals. The appointees were chosen by the AITC Board Nominations Committee and will serve a two-year term. Learn more here.
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The Real Dirt on Farming in the Classroom
On Canada's Agriculture Day, AITC-C released The Real Dirt on Farming in the Classroom, a resource that enables students to engage with Farm and Food Care's Real Dirt on Farming (RDOF) publication while examining its key areas – animal welfare, crops and plants, sustainability, agriculture policy, hot topics in our food system & more! Download it here.
Celebrating Canada's Agriculture Day
AITC-C joined Farm and Food Care Ontario to deliver four live farm tours to classrooms across Canada. From a chicken farmer in Nova Scotia to cattle ranchers in B.C., students were able to interact with the farmers, ask questions and learn about their farms. Watch:
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New Foundational and Educational Partners
New Partnership Highlights STEM Career Opportunities to Students
AITC-C is proud to come together with agriculture partners to introduce youth to careers across the food sector. Together, AITC-C, EMILI, and Actua will be helping Western Canadian students from Kindergarten to Grade 12 learn about opportunities in plant-protein, agrifood and digital agriculture sectors. Learn more here.
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French Resources Added to the Canadian Educator's Matrix
AITC-C's Canadian Educator's Matrix is now fully bilingual! We have added 26 French resources and 8931 curriculum outcomes from Quebec's curriculum. Check out Quebec's Resource Portal here.
To view the more than 230 FREE, curriculum-linked resources, activities and lesson plans, you can view the portals for provincial AITC members in B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Nova Scotia, P.E.I, and Newfoundland & Labrador. Contact our Education Specialist Melissa Galay for more information.
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15 NEW snapAG Sheets Coming Soon!

The snapAG library is expanding! In the next month, we are adding FIFTEEN new sheets - including 'hot topics' of Regenerative Agriculture, Urban Agriculture, and Robotics. We're also finalizing three sheets focusing on Indigenous Agriculture to be released in summer. View all current snapAG sheets here.
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10 NEW Interactive Resources

To celebrate CALM, we asked all our provincial member organizations about their favourite resources and converted them into interactive, e-learning resources - perfect for at-home learning and in-classroom fun! Find them here.
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UPDATES FROM OUR AITC MEMBER PROVINCES |
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British Columbia: BCAITC
BCAITC, along with We Heart Local BC, is hosting a FREE cooking lesson with Chef Trevor Randle from 5:00pm to 6:30pm (MST) on April 24th to celebrate Earth Week!
Join this virtual webinar from anywhere in Canada to try 2 new local BC recipes, and learn all about sustainable BC food, agriculture, and greenhouse farming! Register here!
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Manitoba: AITC-MB
It’s time to grow! AITC-M is unveiling an exciting new website and bold new brand identity this week! The new brand is designed to engage more teachers and students in understanding and celebrating the role agriculture plays in our province, our lives, and our future. The website will make it easier than ever for teachers to find educational resources, activities and events they can use to bring agriculture to life in their classrooms.
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Saskatchewan: AITC-SK
AITC-SK is thrilled to launch an engaging, kid-friendly website - ExploreSaskAg.ca - that brings the story of agriculture in Saskatchewan to life! Grades 4 to 6 students will discover the fascinating Past and Present of agriculture in the province through highly interactive bits of information that are informative yet engaging.Quizzes and lessons are provided to guide teachers and students in their discovery and support further learning.
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Newfoundland & Labrador: AITC-NL
AITC-NL is hosting the Bee Creative Literacy Contest for K to Grade 6. Classes can submit up to three literary works that showcase their literary talent and agricultural savvy. The 10 winning classes will decorate a celebratory beehive that will be housed at a real beekeeper’s farm.
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Quebec: Ecole-O-Champ
Discover our fun and educational in class activities! Want to teach your students about where their food comes from but don’t know where to start? Watch our four Télé-O-Champ! From seeds to the garden, they’ll learn how to grow plants and which parts they’re eating in a fun and interactive way - they might even be able to taste the vegetables and sprouts they grew!
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Prince Edward Island: AITC-PEI
Congratulations to Suba Aiyer, a teacher at Colonel Gray High School in PEI. Suba is the first recipient of the AITC-PEI's new “AG”cellent Teacher Award!
Suba is a dedicated teacher to her students, demonstrating excellence in the classroom and exemplifying true leadership in agriculture education! Learn more here.
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Congratulations to AgScape on Celebrating 30 years! |
We are proud of AgScape for 30 years of inspiring teachers and students to learn about Canada's agriculture sector. AgScape was created with the mission of bringing the facts, innovations and ingenuity of Ontario's food and agriculture sector to students across the province. We are honoured to have AgScape as the provincial member for Ontario and their new Executive Director, Taylor Selig, as a member of our board.
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THANK YOU TO OUR FOUNDATIONAL PARTNERS FOR THEIR CONTINUED SUPPORT |
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