Texas
Summer Ag Institute brings agriculture to Texas educators – Texas Farm Bureau
By Shelby Shank
Field Editor
Teachers across the Lone Star State learned more about agriculture and how they can incorporate agriculture into their classroom at this year’s Texas Farm Bureau (TFB) Summer Ag Institute (SAI)in Waco.
During the four-day professional development event, educators toured farms, ranches and agribusinesses in Central Texas. They heard from industry professionals, educational experts and participated in hands-on activities to replicate in their classrooms.
“Summer Ag Institute is an interactive, hands-on learning experience for educators to become familiar with agriculture and incorporating agriculture into the classroom,” said Jordan Bartels, TFB associate director of Organization Division, Education Outreach. “Educators toured farms and ranches to help them understand agriculture and discuss ways they can apply it to lessons and activities in their classrooms.”
Farm, ranch tours
Teachers toured TrueHarvest Farms in Belton, a hydroponic lettuce and leafy greens grower. The group toured the facility and followed the process from seedling to harvest. Educators learned about hydroponic food production systems and how the lettuce is grown, harvested, packaged and shipped through an automated process.
Ryan Trowbridge, an educator from Mansfield ISD, led a demonstration on how teachers can build their own hydroponic system in their classrooms with their students.
Educators visited Walker Honey Farm and learned about the honey extraction process. The visit left teachers buzzing with excitement about beekeeping and large-scale honey production.
At the AgriLife Extension Research Center in McGregor, teachers learned about beef cattle production and saw the cutting edge technology being used to monitor cattle. Dr. Ryon Walker discussed current studies being conducted at the research center and taught teachers how to formulate a feed ration.
Hands-on workshops, activities
During the Summer Ag Institute, various industry experts and fellow teachers facilitated hands-on activities and lessons the educators can mimic in their classrooms.
Michaelle Coker, a high school science teacher at Central Heights ISD, gave a group a lesson over DNA extraction where participants evaluated genotypes and phenotypes of cattle.
Seventh grade science teacher Lindsey Alleman plans to incorporate the lesson in her class next year. Alleman teaches at McCullogh Junior High, which is north of Houston, and is excited to share these new resources with her students to expose them to agriculture.
“Michaelle gave us advice on how to do the activity if we don’t have the same tools she does or who to contact to get the materials for our classroom,” Alleman said. “I’ve done a similar activity in my classroom, but now I can introduce it with breeds of cattle and bring in agriculture.”
In a session with Texas Tech Quail, teachers learned about a bobwhite’s life from egg to adulthood. The group saw the research being conducted using micro radio transmitters to study chick movement and habitat use data.
Teachers also heard from the National Ranching Heritage Center about resources available to use alongside Hank the Cowdog books.
Other sessions included information from a dairy farmer, forester and a visit with a local veterinarian about antibiotics and animal welfare, as well as learning how to use the resources available through TFB.
“Texas Farm Bureau gave us a lot of valuable tools and a lot of valuable activities and resources to help us bring agriculture in where we’re at and meet our students where they’re at,” Jordan Gates, a second-grade teacher at McGregor ISD, said.
Teacher experiences
Educators from urban and rural areas alike enjoyed the immersive experience.
Gates found the lessons and activities beneficial and the program exceeded his expectations.
“Summer Ag Institute has really gone above and beyond my expectations. I came in with an open mind, and we’ve seen so many cool things,” Gates said. “The presenters want you to succeed, and they’re willing to spend their time to help you and give you wisdom and lot of good resources to be successful.”
Gates looks forward to the next school year and implementing gardening in his classroom.
“One of the most valuable things I learned from the workshop was how to incorporate gardening in the classroom, whether that be hydroponics or traditional gardening,” Gates said. “That’s something I’ve been wanting to do for a long time and didn’t feel like I had the tools or resources available to do that.”
Agriculture starts on farms and ranches, but it happens in the classroom, too.
“I am a novice when it comes to agriculture. I didn’t realize how diverse agriculture is and how it impacts our daily lives,” Alleman said. “Teaching seventh grade, they’re in that transition stage of figuring out what they want to do when they go into high school. I think that all starts with a teacher and introducing them to different fields of study.”
Alleman is encouraged to learn more and bring those experiences to her students.
“I’m continually trying to grow and being able to expose myself to these different professions, different types of lessons that help me bring that education to my students can be inspiring to them to look at different avenues for their life and seeing how agriculture relates to everything,” Alleman said.
About the event
The event took place June 10-13 in Waco.
The Lubbock SAI will be held July 16-19 at the FiberMax Center for Discovery.
For more information on TFB’s Ag in the Classroom efforts, visit texasfarmbureau.org/aitc.
NORTH TEXAS – This week’s snow event will end with a “few flurries” during Friday’s morning commute, according to CBS News Texas meteorologist Jeff Ray.
“But roads will have frozen over,” Ray said.
Expect hazardous road conditions in the morning, as it will be “the worst” the roads have been since the event started on Thursday morning, Ray said.
Late in the morning, temperatures will rise above freezing, which will “help drivers get around the Metroplex,” Ray said.
A cold front is expected Friday, he said.
“We are going to have wind chills in the 20s all day,” Ray said. “By nightfall on Friday, temperatures will drop quickly and water will re-freeze on the roads across the evening. This ice will remain until mid-morning on Saturday before the sun and warmer temperatures in the mid-40s clear the roadways.”
CBS News Texas will continue to provide updates as information becomes available.
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South Carolina women’s basketball hosts its SEC home opener against Texas A&M on Thursday evening. Here’s how to watch and what to watch for.
1. Missing Ashlyn
South Carolina announced on Tuesday that junior forward Ashlyn Watkins will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL. Staley let Watkins tell the team about her injury, and then the coaches have tried to push forward.
“We just keep it moving, try not to harp on it too much because it’s felt,” Staley said. “The more you move on, the more they move on – and our players have to move on. It’s a part of it.”
I broke down how South Carolina will try to replace Watkins here.
Staley said, “Only time will tell” the impact of Watkins’ absence, but it is definitely an opportunity for Maryam Dauda, Adhel Tac, and Sakima Walker to step into a new role.
“Sometimes, when you remove someone as big as Ashlyn from your equation, other people have an opportunity,” Staley said. “And what they do with that opportunity, usually, they do something pretty good with it. We’ll work with them, and we’ll be patient with them.”
2. Spurtability
South Carolina’s strengths this season have been its bench and its transition game. In the first two SEC games, South Carolina pulled away with the second unit on the court getting stops and getting out in transition.
Watkins, with her ability to rim run with or without the ball, was a huge part of that. Her absence isn’t going to stop the Gamecocks from running, especially at home. Even without Watkins, the Gamecocks had 15 fast break points on Sunday.
That quick-strike ability has Texas A&M coach Jni Taylor worried.
“We have a saying around here that says, ‘before you know it,’” Taylor said. “If you keep doing the right thing, keep putting your head down, keep grinding, you look up and before you know it, you’ll be where you’re supposed to be. Likewise, if you don’t come out ready, if you are pouting, if you are feeling sorry for yourself, before you know it, you won’t be where you’re supposed to be. That’s one of those things at South Carolina. They’re a really good team. They play really well at home. We will be, flashback of last year here, we’ll be down 15 to zero before we can bat an eye if we don’t come out ready to go.”
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3. (Dress rehearsal)
Nobody is going to say it out loud, but Thursday’s game is an important tune-up for the Sunday showdown against no. 5 Texas.
Is Tac ready to battle Kyla Oldacre? Can Dauda’s shooting pull Oldacre away from the paint? Is there enough rim protection to keep Rori Harmon from getting easy layups, or do they need to get creative? Who should guard Madison Booker?
It’s a familiar refrain in these parts. Get the game in hand early so you have the fourth quarter to look at some different lineups.
“We let our players play through some stuff, and then you’ve got to look at the scoreboard,” Staley said. “If we’re holding serve on the scoreboard, and we’re up, more lenient to leave them out there to give them some minutes. But, if the scoreboard moves in an unfavorable way, then you got to get combinations out there that’s going to move it the opposite way.”
Texas hosts no. 18 Alabama on Thursday night, so the Longhorns can’t afford to look ahead. But we can.
[USC-Texas WBB: Win tickets, parking]
4. Availability report
Maddy McDaniel and Sakima Walker were both listed as OUT on the Wednesday evening Availability Report.
McDaniel has not played since the holiday break after suffering a concussion. Walker has not played since the Iowa State game and hasn’t been available since the TCU game with an ankle injury. Both have started participating in practice this week but obviously are not yet full-speed.
Vanessa Saidu is listed as OUT for Texas A&M. She has yet to play this season. Amirah Abdur-Rahim is listed as questionable.
Side note: Because Watkins has been declared out for the season, she is not included on the availability report.
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5. Scouting the Aggies
The Aggies are one of the three SEC teams that haven’t reached 10 wins yet. There are a lot of good players on the roster – anyone in the country would take Lauren Ware, Sahara Jones, and Janae Kent – plus a great scorer in Aicha Coulibaly, but the sum of the parts hasn’t been quite where it needs to be.
However, Texas A&M is coming off an upset of then-25th-ranked Ole Miss on Sunday. The win was a 60-58 rock fight in which Ole Miss shot 0-12 in the fourth quarter, but that fits Joni Taylor’s defensive mindset.
‘I think that we’ve been able to show really good spurts defensively of how we can impact the game,” Taylor said. “To hold Ole Miss or any team, for that matter, without a field goal in the fourth quarter is really impressive, and I think it just shows, again, what we are capable of.”
Coulibaly has been a thorn in the Gamecocks’ side before. She scored 32 points and grabbed six rebounds against the Gamecocks in the SEC tournament quarterfinals last season. Coulibaly had no problem getting to the basket and drawing fouls, going 13-15 from the line. And that was with Watkins and Kamilla Cardoso guarding the rim.
“Coulibaly is the one that we haven’t solved playing against her,” Staley said. “I do think they’re better. They’re playing more cohesive. They’ve got some bigs that do what bigs do. They have guards that are a year older, some transfers that have played in our league, so … formidable. And then, they’re coming off a big win against Ole Miss.”
Texas A&M freshman Taliyah Parker was a high school teammate of Tac’s at South Grand Prairie. Parker has appeared in all 14 games this season and averages 5.3 points and 2.4 rebounds.
The Ws
Who: #1 South Carolina (14-1, 2-0) vs Texas A&M (8-6, 1-1)
When: 5:00 EST, Thursday, January 9
Where: Colonial Life Arena, Columbia, SC
Watch: ESPN2
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