MARYLAND

State Contact: Mr. George Mayo Maryland Ag Education Foundation PO Box 536 Havre de Grace, MD 21078

Phone: (410) 939-9030 Fax: (410) 939-9035 E-mail: gmayo@maefonline.com Website

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Major Program Accomplishments
2007 brought new programs to the organization.

A middle school tote program, Mission Biotech, was developed through a grant from Monsanto and the National Ag in the Classroom Consortium to teach students about biotechnology. The lessons will be made available to schools across the state. CD versions will be mailed to each state's Agriculture in the Classroom program for use at their own discretion.

Goats in the Classroom, another new program, provides goat lessons to teachers and high school FFA PALS programs. After the lesson is completed, students are taken outside to have an actual visit with goat owners and a few goat kids. Over 500 students have taken part in Goats in the Classroom.

Our staff continues to provide critical services supporting Maryland Agriculture teachers and the Maryland Agriculture Teachers Association. Support includes: establishing a network connecting young and seasoned Ag teachers with open teaching positions in the state, working with the University of Maryland to develop an Ag Educators program, working with the State Department of Education, the Nursery & Landscape Industry, the MD Department of Agriculture and high schools around the state to implement the industry's Certified Professional Horticulturist certification as an end of program assessment for students in the Horticulture completer program.

Ag Returns to the City was able to target urban schools with agricultural lessons. Curriculum focused on the interests of inner city youth was developed and presented at 53 schools in the metro Baltimore City and Washington DC suburbs in Maryland.

The three mobile science labs continue to work tirelessly through the school year with 90 school visits and over 56,250 student visits. The Maryland Agriculture Showcase traveled to more than 25 fairs and festivals around the state with static and interactive activities promoting agriculture and AITC programs to students and adults.

Major Program Impacts
More than 59,000 Marylanders were exposed to agriculture using the Maryland Agriculture Showcase.

The three mobile science labs served over 56,250 student visits while spending a week in over 90 schools.

Over 22,000 students were reached through the Ag Returns to the City program and the Urban Youth Gardening program, a program designed to teach hands-on gardening.

Professional development was given to 382 urban teachers, who have the potential to teach 11,267 students on the importance of agriculture.

Pre-service training was provided to 41 college students.

The Summer AITC Teacher workshop armed 50 teachers with the tools needed to demonstrate the importance of agriculture to nearly 157,000 Maryland students.