State Programs
State Summary 2010 — California
State Contact
Ms. Judy Culbertson
CA Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom
2300 River Plaza Drive
Sacramento, CA 95833-3293
P: 916.561.5625
F: 916.561.5697
E: jculbertson@cfbf.com
Website
Classroom Resources
1. 2009-2010 Teacher Resource Guide http://www.learnaboutag.org/trg/
2. WHATS GROWIN ON? Ninth edition Farm to School Connections and WHATS GROWIN ON? Teacher Guide http://www.learnaboutag.org/wgo/
3. Commodity and Natural Resource Fact and Activity Sheets Our latest agricultural fact and activity sheet features spinach. http://www.learnaboutag.org/Commodity/Commodity.php
4. Web Activities for Students based on WHATS GROWIN ON? Ninth edition Farm to School Connections http://kids.cfaitc.org/wgo6/
5. Presidential Turkey Activity Guide http://www.learnaboutag.org/turkeytour/activityguide.pdf
6. Resources for Every Season CD; www.http://www.learnaboutag.org/res/
7. Imagine this...Stories Inspired by Agriculture (Book of winning student written entries for our writing contest)http://www.learnaboutag.org/Imaginethis/Imaginethis.php
8. Cream of the Crop E-newsletter http://www.learnaboutag.org/cotc/
9. Food Safety-From Farm to Fork; http://learnaboutag.org/foodsafety/
Major Program Accomplishments or Outputs
Together with Foster Farms, CFAITC developed a Presidential Turkey curriculum and organized a statewide contest, allowing schools to win a Presidential Turkey visit. The curriculum focuses on poultry while teaching the subjects of English-language arts, nutrition, history-social studies, math and science. Modesto's Foster Farms turkey growers raised and selected the turkeys pardoned by President Obama in November, 2010.
More than 200 California teachers participated in the 2010 CFAITC Conference in Shell Beach where field trips, guest speakers, workshops, make n takes, resource sessions and networking opportunities encouraged educators to teach with agriculture! Nearly half of all participants were first-time attendees.
CA educator Sergio de Alba was recognized as one of five 2010 Excellence in Teaching About Agriculture Awards Program recipients. Sergio was selected as CFAITC's Literacy for Life award winner, and was also awarded the national honor by the USDA at the 2010 National Ag in the Classroom Conference. He is a 4th grade teacher at R.M. Miano Elementary School in Los Banos.
CFAITC's website was re-designed in 2010, presenting all of our resources and programs in a more modern and user-friendly format for educators. We have also activated a new, shorter and more memorable domain name, www.LearnAboutAg.org. With an average of 14,696 visitors per month in 2010, the site is home to electronic versions of lesson plans, free resources, and our interactive Kid's Corner.
Social networking and electronic media continue to enable us to share information and resources and communicate effectively. CFAITC's Facebook page currently has 1,472 fans with whom we share updates, program details, resources, photos, articles, information and upcoming events. Our number of fans nearly doubled in only one year! Similarly, we have joined Twitter, a free social networking and micro-blogging service.
Major Program Impacts or Outcomes
The number of CFAITC ambassadors increased by 10.3% in 2010 (13,427 in December 2010 compared to 12,173 in December 2009), showing significant gains in our target audience. CFAITC is represented by Ambassadors in 44% of California's schools.
The CFAITC Web site (www.learnaboutag.org) received 23% more website hits (2,626,608 total) in 2010 compared to 2009, an increase of more than 492,761 website hits.
100 percent of conference attendees agreed that, Yes, after attending the conference (they) will implement the materials/ideas received upon returning to class.
Biosketch
Judy Culbertson, a 5th generation pear grower, grew up in Courtland, a small town just outside of Sacramento, California. Following high school, she graduated from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Agricultural Business Management.
In 1980 Judy joined the Agriculture in the Classroom program. Today she serves as the Executive Director for California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom. Judy hopes that through the Foundation, every student can gain an appreciation and curiosity for learning about where their food and fiber come from.
The dedication and belief Judy possesses in the value of agriculture and education does not stop with her role with the Foundation. She represents the Foundation on a variety of local, statewide and national boards and committees along with dedicated involvement within her own community.