This hybrid professional development course combines two in-person learning days with online coursework to support educators in incorporating agritourism and specialty crop agriculture into classroom instruction. Designed for teachers, extension personnel, and youth educators working with grades pre-K-12, the course explores how these areas of agriculture can serve as engaging, real-world contexts for teaching STEM, science, social studies, literacy, and mathematics. All activities and instructional approaches are aligned with Iowa Academic Standards.
Participants will examine how farms and agricultural businesses diversify through agritourism experiences and specialty crop production such as fruits, vegetables, flowers, and honey products. Through hands-on learning, educator collaboration, and real-world examples, participants will discover how agriculture can be used to strengthen student understanding of food systems, local economies, and environmental connections.
By connecting classroom learning to real agricultural practices, participants will gain tools to help students think critically about where their food comes from and the role agriculture plays in their communities.
Face-to-face Location: Urbana, IA
Course Highlights
Day One: Exploring Agritourism and Specialty Crop Production
- Visit local farms and agricultural businesses that showcase specialty crop production and agritourism experiences.
- Explore topics such as pollinators, seasonal crop production, and farm-to-consumer food systems.
- Gain insight into how these agricultural enterprises support local economies and community engagement.
Day Two: Connecting Agritourism and Specialty Crops to Classroom Learning
- Discover ways to incorporate agritourism and specialty crop topics into STEM and cross-curricular instruction.
- Engage in hands-on instructional strategies and inquiry-based activities that support student investigation and problem solving.
- Develop classroom-ready lessons and activities that help students understand agriculture’s role in food systems, the environment, and local communities.