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For Educators
Marin Agricultural Land Trust (MALT) has long understood the importance of education to the overall success of its land conservation program. MALT´s Education Program began 11 years ago with a small offering of farm tours. The program has evolved into an enormously successful and popular way of introducing the public to MALT´s mission and goals. The following facets of our Education Program are particularly focused towards classroom teachers. The Farm Field Studies Program offers farm field trips to K-12 school groups from throughout the Bay Area in the Spring and Fall. Collaborative Educational Programs and Events highlight our work with other organizations and agencies to raise awareness of local agriculture. For information about our Outreach and Education Programs, contact Constance Washburn, Director of Education at 415-663-1338 or cwashburn@malt.org. Farm Field Studies Program
About the Farm Field Studies ProgramMALT offers the Farm Field Studies Program to Bay Area schools. Fifty percent of Marin's land-use base is tied to agriculture, yet many Bay Area children have never set foot on a working farm. Our program offers an opportunity for hands-on learning at a local farm or ranch about the natural world, our food supply, nutrition, the local economy, and our rich California history. We offer curriculum aids, including maps of Marin agriculture, science and nature activity kits, and lesson plans which correlate to the California Department of Education Frameworks for math, science, history-social science, and English-language arts. Our standard fee of $150 per school goes directly to the host farmer; financial assistance is available by request. Farm field trips are offered September through November; and March through June by application. Participating schools are selected on a first-come, first-served basis. We require at least one adult chaperone per six students. For more information please contact Sandy Dierks, Farm Field Studies Coordinator, at sdierks@malt.org, or 415-868-0205. Teaching AgricultureRead this article from the MALT Fall 2007 newsletter for an introduction to the Farm Field Studies program. "On a bright spring morning in Bolinas, a school bus unloads 25 fourth graders and all their exuberant energy onto Sandy Dierks´ family farm. She smiles in welcome. "Here they come! We have so much to share with them!" she says. She greets the children, their teachers, and parents, knowing that she is someone few of the kids or adults may have met before-she is a farmer. " Download the rest of the article here (PDF 791 KB). Participating Farms & Visual Lesson PlansParadise Valley Farm – Dennis & Sandy Dierks, Bolinas, CaliforniaDennis and Sandy grow and sell organic row crops. They work hard to build healthy soil in order to grow vegetables and greens of the highest possible nutritional value. The tour normally starts with a lecture from Dennis near the enormous compost pile as he explains the soil nutrient cycle. After the lecture, students will visit the greenhouse to plant seeds and discuss the plant life cycle, followed by a lesson on the restoration of salmon-spawning habitat in adjacent Pine Gulch Creek, and a visit to the creek to capture and study various life forms. Other seasonal, hands-on activities might include planting beds or harvesting fruits or vegetables. Click on the titles for visual lesson plans on the Basic Nutrient Cycle (PDF 31.5 MB), Soil Nutrient Cycle (PDF 29.4 MB), Parts of a Plant (PDF 30 MB), and Coho Salmon Life Cycle (PDF 33.7 MB) that are appropriate for this farm location. Tresch Dairy – Kathy & Don Tresch, Two Rock, CaliforniaThe Tresch family has been in the California dairy business since Joe ´ s family emigrated from Switzerland to California in the 1870s. The dairy at Two Rock has been worked by four generations of the Tresch family, and was certified organic in 1996. All the milk goes to the Straus Family Creamery in Marshall, where it is used for the Straus product line of milk, cream, butter, and yogurt. Students will learn the farm-to-market process of an organic dairy ´ s milk, bottle-feed a calf, visit the milking barn, and have the chance to churn and taste butter. During a walk out to the heirloom apple orchard, they will learn about the life cycle of dairy cows, sustainable agricultural methods that care for the environment, and the important role farms play in preserving watershed and wildlife habitat. Click on the title for a visual lesson plan on Cows and Milk Production (PDF 36.4 MB) that is appropriate for this farm location. Windrush Farm – Mimi Luebermann, Chileno Valley, Petaluma, CaliforniaWindrush Farm is an old-fashioned farm where Mimi raises much of her food, including goats, chickens, and vegetables. Mimi raises sheep, alpaca, and llamas for their wool, which she cleans and cards, then spins into yarn, which she dyes. The students will get a lesson on this process, as well as a discussion of wool products. The students will learn about the frog life cycle at the farm pond, where they can capture and release tadpoles and small frogs. Pond kits will be provided for study of other water creatures. The MALT docent will also conduct a lesson on the food chain, from grinding wheat for flour, to baking bread, time permitting. Click on the titles for visual lesson plans on Sheep (PDF 36.7 MB), Chicken (PDF 24.1 MB) Life Cycle, Grains (PDF 34.8 MB), and Pond Life (PDF 44.6 MB) that are appropriate for this farm location. Drake’s Bay Family Farms - The Lunny family, Point Reyes, CaliforniaThe Lunny family has been farming and ranching around Drakes Estero for four generations. Today, there are two operations that sustain the family: organic, grass-fed beef cattle and oyster production. A tour at Drakes Bay Family Farms includes a discussion of sustainable agriculture and why eating organic meat is important, a walk through pasture land, a lesson on aquaculture, and a chance to taste the oysters of Drakes Estero. Gospel Flat Farm – Don & Mickey Murch, Bolinas, CaliforniaIn 1982, Don Murch and Sarah Hake moved onto the last farm on the Pine Gulch Creek delta, to an area once known as the Gospel Flat for the four churches that previously existed there. They reclaimed the fields from a decade of trash buildup. Don, Sarah, and their sons Mickey and Kater farm in a variety of styles, and raise organic vegetables and flowers. The farm is increasingly dedicated to its role in community not only as a provider of local vegetables, but inspiration towards handmade food through mobile kitchen workshops, after-school education, and school tours. Click on the titles for visual lesson plans on the Basic Nutrient Cycle (PDF 31.5 MB), Soil Nutrient Cycle (PDF 29.4 MB), Parts of a Plant (PDF 30 MB), and Coho Salmon Life Cycle (PDF 33.7 MB) that are appropriate for this farm location. How Schools can ParticipateField Trip Application (PDF 3.4 MB)This is the first step. Download the application and submit online, or by mail or fax to address on form. Once you are registered for a field trip, there are several other forms you need. Click on the form titles to download:
Resources for TeachersCalifornia Content Standards with Links to Farm Activities
More facts about agriculture in Marin County, California, are found in the Amazing But True fact sheet (PDF 1.1MB). Download a Marin County Farms and Ranches Map here. (PDF 2MB) Grown in Marin, the website of the University of California Cooperative Extension, has extensive resources for educators, including Food For Thought: Agricultural Activities for Growing Minds, a classroom activity guide for grades 3-6. Collaborative Educational ProgramsThrough collaborations with other organizations, Marin Agricultural Land Trust (MALT) has acted as an incubator for innovative and effective programs that encourage agricultural literacy, raise awareness of local agriculture, and encourage public policies that support the viability of local agriculture. Increased awareness and understanding of agriculture by the greater Bay Area community can help support the long-term survival of local agriculture. University of California Cooperative Extension Diversification WorkshopsPanel discussions with researchers in the field of livestock agriculture and water quality are held in collaboration with UC Cooperative Extension and Marin Organic. Sessions have included such topics as alternative energy sources being used to power farms and ranches in the Bay Area, organic strawberry production, and the growing of medicinal herbs. Each session includes a tasting of Marin farm products. For more information, contact Steve Quirt at 415-499-4204 or www.growninmarin.org.
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