Annual Report 2003
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 345 Seekonk, MA 02771
Telephone: (508) 336-4426 Fax: (508) 336-0682
Website: www.aginclassroom.org
Dear Friend of Massachusetts Agriculture
This annual report summarizes the activities of Massachusetts Agriculture in the Classroom, Inc. for the calendar year January 1, 2003 to December 31, 2003 and highlights events of interest for the coming year. MAC has finished another exciting and eventful year. In fact we have finished our first exciting and eventful twenty years. It has been a breath-taking twenty years from our humble beginnings under then-Commissioner of Agriculture, Fred Winthrop, to our current position as one of the regional leaders in agricultural education outreach programs.
This year we also celebrate the tenth anniversary of our Mini-Grant program. The Mini-Grant program was launched in 1994, when MAC Board member James Munger outlined a project inspired by his work with the Bristol County Farm Bureau. Jim envisioned a program that would "facilitate a greater interaction between farmers and their consumers, bringing school groups to farms, farmers to schools and agriculture to classrooms." Over the past ten years, mini-grants have funded a wide diversity of projects to educators across the state. Jim is really pleased with the people that have participated. He says "Agriculture is an important part of life, and teachers and farmers are the life-blood of our country and our world. I hope people will continue to support our program."
This year we were able to surpass our one hundred donor goal. This is a substantial accomplishment on the part of the Board of Directors in a year when fund-raising is again a very challenging enterprise. In order to meet that challenge and to ensure MAC’s long-term financial condition, we have hired a part-time aide to the Executive Board. Heather Ware, a long-time Board member has undertaken the task to find and raise $20,000 in each of the next two years from heretofore untapped revenue sources.
Heather has been applying for foundation grants and gifts to begin to build a financial base that will enable the Board to hire a full or part-time executive director who will manage the affairs of MAC and select and find the funding to keep churning out new and exciting projects. To do this we have been fortunate to be able to bring Wayne Stuart onto our board as Treasurer. He has helped us to get our financial house in better working order and we are grateful for his work and expertise.
Debi Hogan, our education consultant continues to anchor the entire board. Education is what MAC is all about and she organizes and produces extremely popular and successful teachers’ workshops and on-farm programs. These have been well-attended and shed a spotlight on MAC and its core activities across the state. Debi also continues to produce our widely-read and respected three-times-yearly newsletter. She and other board members have also organized a number of successful fund-raising events which have been helpful in spreading the word about our work and in raising money for the organization.
The Executive Committee met regularly, as has the full board, to develop and execute the goals of the organization. I doubt that there is a more dedicated core group of individuals on any board. They have donated a lot of time and energy to drive all over the state of Massachusetts to support the education of our teachers and students in the Massachusetts school systems. These individuals represent every aspect of agriculture and education in our Commonwealth and have done yeoman's work to keep the role and importance of agriculture in our student's curriculum. We even make it easy to integrate agricultural concepts by setting everything out within the 'frameworks.'
This year, I am stepping aside as President. Without doubt, this has been the most active, spirited and dedicated group of volunteers with whom I have been associated. MAC’s board is dedicated to its mission in every sense of the word and so many of our members are truly selfless in their dedication to agricultural education. They bring our mission to the many other boards and organizations on which they also serve. Jim Munger has agreed to take on the role of President, and I am sure he will give the same leadership and inspiration to this task that he has to the Mini-Grants.
John D. Lee, President
Massachusetts Agriculture in the Classroom
MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE IN THE CLASSROOM, INC.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2003
Officers
John D. Lee
President
James Munger
First Vice President
Jerry Myers
Second Vice President
Marjorie Cooper
Secretary
Wayne Stuart
Treasurer
Consultants
Educational Consultant
Debi Hogan
Administrative Consultant
Heather Ware
Advisors
Stephen Demski
Associate Vice Chancellor
for University Outreach
UMass Extension
Commissioner David Driscoll
Massachusetts Department of Education
Commissioner Douglas Gillespie
Massachusetts Department of
Agricultural Resources |
Board of Directors
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Jim Alicata, Fitchburg State College
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Carol Borglund, Tower Hill Botanic Garden
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PhilipBoucher, Massachusetts Nursery & Landscape Association
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Richard Bourgault, Farm Family Insurance & (Horse Judge)
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Ed Bourgeois, Pioneer Valley Sheep Breeders Association
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Annie Cheatham, CISA
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Matthew Chotkowski, USDA, Food and Nutrition Program
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Janet Christensen, former staff, Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources
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Marjorie Cooper, Worcester County Farm Bureau
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Cynthia Cranston, Massachusetts Christmas Tree Growers Association
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Ron Hall, Massachusetts Farm Bureau Federation
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Jay Healy, Former Commissioner, Mass Department of Agricultural Resources
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Henry Hicks, Massachusetts Council of Social Studies
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Kimberly LaFleur, Massachusetts FFA
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Rick Le Blanc, Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources
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Mary McBrady, Massachusetts 4-H Foundation
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Mary McCaffrey, Cape Cod Cranberry Growers Association
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Kathleen C. Millett, Massachusetts Department of Education
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June Millett, Massachusetts Grange
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James Munger, Bristol County Farm Bureau
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Jerry Myers, Eastern States Exposition
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Mary Nourse, New England Vegetable & Berry Growers Association
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Ken Oles, Assistant Principal, John F. Kennedy School, Canton
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Kurt Parliment, Old Sturbridge Village
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Lenore Paul, Massachusetts Teacher, Veterans Park School, Ludlow
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Russell Powell, New England McIntosh Growers Association
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Gus Skamarycz, Massachusetts Beekeepers Association
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Tim Skeehan, Massachusetts Flower Growers Association
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Will Snyder, Extension Educator UMass Extension
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Scott Soares, Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources
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Janice Wentworth, Massachusetts Maple Producers Association
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Jeffrey Wheeler, Massachusetts Department of Education
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A special thank you to Joan Monaco and the Massachusetts Farm Bureau Federation for their bookkeeping support.
Massachusetts Agriculture in the Classroom 2003 Donors
Partners in Progress: Donations of $1,000 or Greater
D. K. Webster Foundation, Andover
Eastern States Exposition - Massachusetts State Lottery
Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources Grant
Massachusetts Nursery & Landscape Association
Massachusetts Society for Promoting Agriculture
Middlesex County Farm Bureau
Plymouth County Farm Bureau
Partners in Progress: Donations of $500 to $999
Allandale Farm, Brookline
Bobby’s Ranch, Inc., Acton
Christensen-Dunn Early Foundation Fund, Boston
Franklin County Farm Bureau
Warren Farm and Sugarhouse, North Brookfield
Worcester County Beekeepers’ Association
Worcester County Farm Bureau
Program Associates: Donations between $100-499
Apponagansett Bay Vineyard, South Dartmouth
Berkshire County Farm Bureau
Stephen H. Burrington, Brookline
Lucy G. Carter, Woodleigh Farm, Weston
Cavicchio Greenhouses, Inc., Sudbury
The Country Hen, Hubbardston
Eastern States Exposition, West Springfield
Farm City Festival, Milton
Farm Family Insurance, Jim Ugone, Topsfield
First Pioneer Farm Credit, ACA, Enfield, CT
Russ French, OESCO, Inc., Conway
Griffin Cranberry Company, Inc. South Carver
Debi Hogan & Warren Leach, Seekonk
Ashley V. Holmes, Plymouth
June & James Johnson, Tewksbury
Keown Orchards, Sutton
Judith B. Kimball, Haverill
Stephen & Susan Knowles, Boxford
Edward P. Lawrence, Brookline
Gordan and Barbara MacPhee, Holden
Suzanne Colloredo-Mansfeld, South Hamilton
Orrin and Cynthia Mason, Jefferson
Massachusetts Co-Operative Milk Producers’ Federation, Inc.
Massachusetts State Grange
Mary McBrady, Plymouth
McColough Associates, Bedford
Middlesex County Beekeepers Association
June Millett, Whitman
New England Vegetable & Berry Growers’ Association
Lenore Paul, Ludlow
Francis H. Phillips, Kingston
A. Russo and Sons, Watertown
Gary L. Saunders, Boston
Gus Skamarycz, Tyngsboro
Tranquil Lake Nursery, Rehoboth
Don & Dorrie Upton, Jaffrey, NH
Sven & Rosamond Vaule, Brookline
Wilson Farms, Inc., Lexington
Frederic & Susan Winthrop, Ipswich
Worcester County Conservation District
Friends of MAC Donations up to $99
Abington Grange #57
Agri-Mark, Lawrence
Martina Albright, Boston
Debra Schultheiss Alesbury, Acton
Sarah L. Barnett, Newton Centre
Suzanne Belanger, Charleston
Francis Bingham, Farm Family Insurance, Dedham
Ethel Brown, Granville
Rosemary Butler Foy, Brookline
Canterbury Street School Fund, Brookline
Cape Cod Conservation District
Cecchi and Sons, Feeding Hills
Janet Christensen, Milton
Lawrence H. Cournoyer, Paxton
William Craigue, Leominster
Stephen Demski, UMass Extension, Amherst
Marsha B. Dexter Investment Trust, Taunton
Jean F. Dickinson, Washington Depot, CT
Caryl A. Dyer, Bernardston
Linwood M. Erskine, Jr., Worcester
Peter Fletcher, Bridgewater
Friendship Pomona Grange #39, West Boxford
Elizabeth P. Frost, Brookline
Nancy P. Gold, Lexington
Granite State Dairy Promotions, NH
Laurie Hackett, Waban
Ron and Elizabeth Hall, Granville
Hanover Grange #206, Stoughton
George & Diantha Harrington, Framingham
Robert and Barbara Johnson, Rutland
Jonathan Sprouts, Inc., Rochester
Jean Crum Jones, Jones Family Farm, CT
Dr. Virginia Sisor Kharasch, Newton
Patricia Kraft, Boston
Beth O’Neil Maloney, West Newton
Mayflower North Pomona #40, Hanover
Sharon McGann, Chestnut Hill
Joanne Mead, Newton Centre
Oakland Grange P of H #397, Taunton
Alexander Ogonowski, Dracut
Marla Olsberg, Newton
Jonah Pesner, Newton Centre
Stephen F. Quinn, Berlin
Rochester Grange #257, Rochester
Edward V. W. Rossiter, Weston
Lee Salonen, Jr., Sunapee, NH
George Sanders, Worcester Public Schools
Tim Skeehan, Russell’s Garden Center
Jay Slattery, Massachusetts Farm Bureau Federation
Francis P. Sears, Hamilton
Wayne P. Smith, Abington
Stockbridge Grange
Suzanne Tapson, Boston
Gordon and Marion Taylor, Shelburne
Cindy Trahan-Liptak, Rutland
Frederick and Virginia Weston, South Carver
Frank White, Holly Hill Farm, Cohasset
Memorial Gifts
In Memory of Edwin W. F. Dyer given by Caryl A. Dyer
In Memory of Margaret, Earl and David Schultheiss given by Debra Schultheiss Alesbury
In Honor of John Lee of Allandale Farm
In Honor of the good work at Allandale Farm Summer Camp
In- Kind Donations
The Board of Directors wishes to thank the following individuals and organizations that made in-kind donations throughout the year.
Allandale Farm, Brookline
Kim Anderson, UMass Extension
Araujo Farm, Dighton
Arcadian Farms, Holliston
Aristocrat Poultry
Bartlett Greenhouses, Sudbury
Kim Benton, Northwest Farm Park, Windsor, CT
Bliss Brothers Dairy, Attleboro
Carol Borglund, Tower Hill Botanic Garden
Becky Bottomley, Hardwick
Ed Bourgeois, Amherst
Bread & Circus, Providence
Bristol County Farm Bureau
Broad Hill Vineyards
David Brownell, South Dartmouth
Bucksteep Manor, Mount Washington
Joe Buttner, Northeastern Massachusetts Aquaculture Center
Amy Carrington, New England Sustainable Farming
Janet Christensen, Milton
Frank Carlson, Carlson, Orchards, Harvard
Darryl Clark, Tadgell School
Codman Community Farm, Lincoln
Coonamesset Farm, East Falmouth
Marjorie Cooper, Rochdale
Cynthia Cranston, Ashfield
Davidian Brothers Orchard, Northboro
Davis Farmland and Mega Maze, Sterling
John Decas, Decas Cranberries, Wareham
Direct Mail
Alex Dowse, Sherborn
EcoTarium, Worcester
Edaville U.S.A., Carver
Flourishes, Providence
Linda Fuchs, Brimfield
Amy Gifford, National Gardening Association
Hancock Shaker Village, Hancock
Russ Handsmann, Ecotarium, Worcester
Timothy Hay, Bigelow Nurseries, Inc.
Debi Hogan and Warren Leach, Seekonk
Honey Pot Hill Orchard, Stow
J. F. Kennedy Library, Boston
Donna Jewett, East Falmouth
June and Jim Johnson, Tewksbury
John King, Rogers Middle School, Lowell
Jon Knight, Weston Nurseries, Inc.
Donna Kramer, Holliston
Erna Lampman, New Marlboro Central School
Sheila Lawton, Cape Cod Cranberry Growers Association
Dale Leavitt, Southeastern Regional Aquaculture Center
John Lee, Brookline
Dan Lenthall, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
Matt LeRoux, New England Heritage Breeds Conservancy
Brenda Loescher, Leicester
Jen Lutton, Uxbridge
Suzanne Lyon, UMass Entomology Department
Marge Mahoney, Hingham
Frank Mangan, UMass Extension
Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources
Massachusetts Farm Bureau Federation
Frank and Eunice Matheson, Littleton
Mary McBrady, Plymouth
Mary McCaffrey, Cape Cod Cranberry Growers
Gilbert Moore, Slatersville, RI
Jim Munger, South Dartmouth
New England Heritage Breeds Conservancy
Jonathan Nourse, Nourse Farm, Westboro
Mary Nourse, Nourse Farm, Whately
Oakdale Farm, Rehoboth
Ken Oles, Wrentham
Outpost Farm, Holliston
Overlook Farm, Rutland
Elizabeth and Henry Patt, Holliston
Lenore Paul, Ludlow
Plimoth Plantation, Plymouth
Plymouth County/UMass Cooperative Extension.
Quansett Nursery, South Dartmouth
Steve Quinn, Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources
Andy Reseka, Reseka Apiaries
Shaw Dairy Farm, Dracut
Gus Skamarycz, Massachusetts Beekeepers’Association
Wayne Smith, Suburban Enterprises, Abington
Ronald and Roxanna Smolowitz, East Falmouth
Scott Soares, Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources
Anne Stone, Stone Tavern Farm, Sudbury
Joanne and Wayne Stuart, Brimfield
Sylvan Nursery, Westport
Diane Syverson, Handbook Author
Tower Hill Botanic Garden
Tadgell School, Belchertown
Tranquil Lake Nursery, Rehoboth
Topsfield Fair
Joann Vieira, Tower Hill Botanic Garden
Ward’s Berry Farm, Sharon
Heather Ware, Becket
Jan and Dale Wentworth, Warren Farm & Sugarhouse, North Brookfield
Cheryl West, UMass Lowell
Weston Nurseries, Inc., Hopkinton
Mary Whittier, Whittier Farms, Sutton
Bill Wiley, Topsfield
Shirley and Peter Williams, North Grafton
Jim Wilson, Wilson Farms, Inc., Lexington
A Special thanks to the Sponsors of our 2003 Seasonal Workshops
Allandale Farm, Brookline
Coonamesset Farm, East Falmouth
EcoTarium, Worcester
Heifer Project International, Overlook Farm, Rutland
Patt’s Blueberry Farm, Holliston
Quabbin Regional High School, Barre
Tadgell School, Belchertown
Tower Hill Botanic Garden, Boylston
Warren Farm and Sugarhouse, N. Brookfield
White Gate Farm, Dracut
Program Overview
Massachusetts Agriculture in the Classroom (MAC) operates under the guidance of a 38-member volunteer Board of Directors who represent Massachusetts’ agricultural commodities, associations, and state and Federal Agencies involved in agriculture education and awareness. Programs include:
Mini-Grant Program
The MAC Mini-Grant Committee awarded $11,943 in 2003, to support eighteen worthy initiatives submitted by Massachusetts educators. Grants of up to $1,500 per projects are awarded three times a year. Deadlines are April 1, September 1 and November 1. Since 1994, MAC has awarded more than $140,708 for 163 projects to educators across the State of Massachusetts. A MAC Board member serves as a liaison to support each project.
Workshops for Teachers on the Farm
In 2003, MAC conducted ten workshops for educators on farms across the state. Ten professional development points were offered for each of the workshops, reaching over 125 educators. Each session offered a farm tour, the opportunity to meet the farmer and learn about the work that goes on at that farm. In addition, each workshop offered related hands-on activities. The 2003 topics included: Apples, Aquaculture, Beekeeping, Blueberries, Compost, Farm Education, International Communities, IPM, Maple Sugaring, Organic Farming, School Gardening, School Greenhouses, Soils, World Hunger. MAC has offered more than 60 workshop on the farm for educators since 1996,bringing on-farm education experiences to more than 750 educators.
Growing Minds Conference
In January 2003, Massachusetts Agriculture in the Classroom held our Second Annual Winter Conference titled "Growing Minds Through Massachusetts Agriculture" at the EcoTarium in Worcester. It offered a full day of workshops on a variety of agricultural topics. Each session, participants chose from five different workshops. Some provided hands-on activities for the classroom, while other explored new technologies or offered a chance to talk with farmers and learn what they do on the farm.
Educational Newsletters
The MAC newsletter is published three times a year. Each newsletter focuses on one aspect of the organization and also provides in-depth background materials and activities for one agricultural commodity or issue. 2003 newsletters described our School Gardens Handbook, 18-Month Agriculture Calendar and School-to-Farm Visits. Featured Massachusetts agricultural topics included Sustainable Agriculture, Tomatoes and Agriculture and the Environment. We currently print 10,700 copies for distribution. Feature articles from ten past newsletters were reprinted into a booklet.
Massachusetts Agriculture in the Classroom Web Site
Visit the MAC Web Site at www.aginclassroom.org to find an ever expanding site including information on workshops and conferences; educational information from past newsletters; resources lists; mini-grant guide-lines and recipients; a regional AITC page, and many links.
School Community - Green Industry Gardening Handbook
The School Community - Green Industry Handbook provides resources to facilitate cooperative gardening efforts between schools, local community groups and businesses. This handbook was developed by Diane Syverson as part of a Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources & Federal Specialty Crops Grant Program.
Massachusetts Agriculture Calendar
MAC collaborated with the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources to produce an 18-month Calendar of Massachusetts Agriculture that runs from August 2003 to January 2005. The calendar is a tool to educate teachers, legislators and the general public, at the same time creating an attractive color calendar to offer a daily reminder of Massachusetts agriculture at work every day of the year. A calendar was sent to every public library in the state.
The MA Department of Agricultural Resources funded the production of a booklet titled "Eight Lessons about Agriculture and the Environment" through their Ag-Tech Grant program. The booklet provides background information and activities for elementary and middle grades. It was mailed to every middle and elementary school in the state. The grant also funded development of three interactive educational exhibits about Massachusetts agriculture which were displayed at fairs throughout the state during the summer and fall.
Farm Field Trip Manual
In 2002, a Farm Field Trip Manual was developed to assist Massachusetts farmers who want to offer field trips on the farm for school groups. It included an outline on how to develop or expand the farm education program, pre-activities and post-field trip activities for the classroom, suggestions for carrying out the field trip and connections to the Mass. Curriculum Frameworks. It was funded by an Agro-Environmental Technology grant from the MA. Dept. of Agricultural Resources. This popular manual was reprinted in 2003.
Other Education Materials
Massachusetts Agriculture in the Classroom continues to distribute our Teachers Resources Directory, What’s Up, MAC? video of Massachusetts agriculture with, with ten accompanying lessons plans targeted towards grades three to five, and "It’s Your World" curriculum offering twenty lessons for grades K through 12.
The recently revised "It’s Your World" curriculum focuses on agriculture and agricultural products from across the state, offering twenty lessons for grades K-12. The lessons look closely at agricultural issues, offering classroom activities and instruction in a meaningful and integrative way that is concise and "user-friendly" for teachers. More than 800 copies have been distributed and copies are available for purchase.
For additional information on any of the projects or proposed initiatives in the Annual Report
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