Flash News from Maryland Agricultural Education Foundation

 

MARYLAND AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION FOUNDATION, INC.       Promoting the understanding and appreciation of the importance of agriculture in our daily lives.   Dates to Remember: July 4: Independence Day July 8 - 11:  Agriculture Teachers Technical Update Conference   July 15: Ag Scholarship Golf Tournament (Vote for George!  See below)  Sept. 8: MAEF & MGGA Ag Education & Scholarship Golf Fundraiser     Nov. 6: MAEF 20th Anniversary Banquet & Auction   * Now is the time to donate prizes for the golf fundraiser and auction items for the November silent and live auction!*   Support MAEF  Buy Ag Tags   *Ag Tag revenues help to underwrite MAEF programs* Visit www.mva.state.md.us and click on online services for a link to the Agricultural Plate application.    Ag Returns to the City Ag Returns to the City visited Thomas Johnson Elementary for Career Day.   Pre-K, third and fifth grade students learned about the importance of agriculture to the economy of Maryland.   Kindergarten and first grade students at Francis Scott Key Elementary enjoyed a science experiment based on the story Jack and the Beanstalk. Students reread the story and planted magic beans in a pot.   Ag Returns to the City visited The Green School. Third grade students learned about their   connection to agriculture by seeing all the things from a farm that touches their life everyday and made butter from whipping cream.  Fourth graders at Francis Scott Key Elementary enjoyed learning about seeds by dissecting a lima bean and creating a tropism experiment with pumpkin, watermelon or squash seeds.    Thank you for your support!     Attention: If you or someone you know has participated as a student on one of MAEF's Mobile Science Labs or in one of the Ag in the Classroom Summer Workshops, MAEF would like your help.    As part of the 20th Anniversary celebration, MAEF is putting together a video highlighting the 20 years of educating Maryland on the importance of agriculture in our daily lives.  We are looking for your thoughts and experiences to share with our supporters!   If you would like to participate, please contact Corinne at cwilliams@maefonline.com or 410-939-9030 ext. 105.       Help Raise Money for Ag Education... Bid on George Mayo!   The Ag Scholarship Golf Tournament has added Guest Caddies this year!  For more information on the caddies and to bid on George visit www.americanfarm.com    New Barn Bookcase A very special thank you goes out to Mark Mulherin and his assistant, Pablo Lasado for building this wonderful barn bookcase.    The bookcase was delivered to Evelyn Wilcom of Farm Bureau Women at the AITC Summer Workshop by Mulherin and his son Patrick.  The bookcase, filled with elementary agricultural books, will debut at the Great Frederick Fair.    Thank you Mark and Pablo for donating your time, energy and carpentry skills to build the bookcase!        Each issue of MAEF's Flash News will highlight an organization or individual who demonstrates exceptional support of agriculture in education.      July's Ag Ed Advocate is the Maryland Farm Bureau Women's Committee.    For many years, the MFB Women's Committee has been a strong supporter of MAEF's educational programs especially the Ag in the Classroom summer workshop. This group of dedicated women have offered scholarship money to teachers attending the workshop as well as purchasing resources and embroidered tote bags.  They have promoted agriculture most recently through a special Book Bundle project where they purchased bundles of 8 agriculture-related books and a farm puppet. Each bundle and puppet is donated to school media specialists or classroom teachers.  In the past year, they have purchased and distributed 667 books and 70 puppets to schools across the state.      The Farm Bureau Women's Committee supports and sponsors the Miss Maryland Agriculture Contest each summer.  A young lady from each county is selected to enter the Miss Maryland Agriculture contest just prior to the State Fair.  These young women receive intense training for several days and then become ambassadors who share with the public the importance of agriculture in their daily lives.   Continued thanks to the Maryland Farm Bureau Women's Committee for their endless support of agricultural education in a variety of ways.   Fore! MAEF and MGGA: Two great state agricultural non-profit organizations. One great golf tournament.     Join us for a spectacular day on the links of the Blue Mash Golf Course. The fun-filled day will benefit the outreach programs of the Maryland Agricultural Education Foundation and the Scholarship Foundation of the Maryland Greenhouse Grower's Association and ... "working toward our Industry's future today by training our leaders, educators and workers of tomorrow". FEES (Includes lunch, greens fees & cart, beverages, supper, prizes & awards.) Single player...........$125.00 Supper only...............$30.00      Bronze Tee Sponsor $150 *Handsome Sponsorship tee sign during tournament play  *Recognition in event booklet, MGGA and MAEF publications and websites     Silver Tee Sponsor $250 All of the above, plus  *Recognition at the 2009 Chesapeake Green Symposium *Recognition at the 20th Annual Banquet and Auction    Gold Tee Sponsor $500 All of the above, plus  *Courtesy vendor sponsorship, one registration, and vendor display table ($250 value) at the 2009 Chesapeake Green Symposium (MGGA) or 2 tickets to the 20th Annual Banquet and Auction  (MAEF) *Standing recognition at the 2009 Chesapeake Green Symposium opening ceremonies (optional)   Hole-In-One-Prize is a Kawasaki 4X4 Mule (valued at $10,000) sponsored by Ceresville New Holland, Inc. of Frederick.   For more information and registration, visit www.maefonline.com or www.mdgga.org.  Goats in the Classroom a Success!   Goats visited seven elementary schools, two middle schools and one assisted living facility this spring.  The outreach included students from Kindergarten through 8th grade.    Counties visited include Frederick (Thurmont Primary, Parkway Elementary, Oakdale Middle and Walkersville Middle), Carroll (Linton Springs Elementary), Baltimore (McCormick Elementary) and Baltimore City (Sharp-Leadenhall Elementary, Francis Scott Key Elementary, Holabird Academy and the Good Samaritan Nursing Center).    Five high school FFA chapters from Catoctin, Linganore, Walkersville, Frederick and Century aided MAEF in teaching these lessons.    In total, 531 Maryland students in grades K-8 and were taught about literature, goats and agriculture.  Plus, they also got to visit with live goat kids!  82 high school students assisted in teaching the lessons.  Along with this number, 36 residents of the nursing center were visited.  Thank you to Mary Anne Smith, Kelsey Fogle and John Peoples for providing the visiting goats.   Goats in the Classroom is now scheduling for the 2008-2009 school year.  Contact Sarah Looney Shriner at sshriner@maefonline.com or (301) 663-4192 ext. 5021 to schedule your school!