An initiative focused on providing opportunities for Kentucky students to learn more about agriculture is returning the week of Sept. 15-19.
Kentucky’s second statewide Agriculture Education Week will be more than teaching students where their food, fuel, and fiber come from. Like the first All In for Ag Education Week last spring, the fall version will also introduce them to career opportunities that agriculture offers and will seek to inspire them to be a part of its future.
Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner Jonathan Shell
Agriculture Education Week is a bipartisan collaboration between the Kentucky Department of Agriculture (KDA), Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman and the Kentucky Department of Education to equip educators with ready-to-use lessons and resources. There will be 16 initiatives that make this a wraparound approach to agriculture education, starting from the moment the students enter school to opportunities throughout the day in all subject areas, even in the lunchroom and outside the school day.
Teachers will not stop teaching their usual curriculum to teach agriculture. Instead, they will teach the curriculum through the lens of agriculture. For example, elementary students will participate in salsa math, in which they learn fractions while making salsa. Other examples include: students will learn about beef production in reading and writing; they will learn about regional ag production based on climate and topography in social studies; and they will learn the impact of science on agriculture in a multitude of ways.
Students in kindergarten through 12th grade are invited to write a storybook with a theme of agriculture and food, with a chance to win a cash prize and have their book published as the Ag Book of Ag Ed Week. Students of all ages can also enter the KDA Poster and Essay Contest, which awards $100 to the winners in each grade level and will display their work at the 2026 Kentucky State Fair.
This initiative is not just for students aspiring to become farmers or work in the agriculture industry. It will help all students develop valuable skills, such as understanding nutrition, sustainability, and how agriculture intersects with other fields, including law, marketing, healthcare, and communication – in addition to helping students grow into educated consumers.
KDA’s Agriculture Education and Outreach Division took feedback from the spring and doubled down – and then some. It’s ensuring that teachers have what they need without adding to their plates, students have access to agriculture education, and the local community has opportunities to engage and showcase what agriculture looks like locally.
The initiative will foster community involvement to create dynamic, hands-on learning experiences focused on the diverse world of Kentucky agriculture. KDA has about 300 farms and agribusinesses signed up to provide ag tours to classes through The Real Ag Experience.
Kentucky Education Commissioner Robbie Fletcher says the hands-on learning is aligned to Kentucky Academic Standards, bringing science and real-world experiences to life. As students engage in science and engineering practices and look through the lens of cross-cutting concepts, they learn disciplinary core ideas to make sense of phenomena or design solutions to problems related to Kentucky agriculture.
Fletcher explains that the hands-on learning experiences are designed using the 5E instructional model: engage, explore, explain, elaborate and evaluate. The 5E framework fosters inquiry-based learning, guiding students to actively construct knowledge and develop innovative, sustainable solutions to overcome agricultural challenges in Kentucky.
Agriculture has a nearly $50 billion impact on Kentucky, which boasts the seventh-highest number of farms – nearly 70,000 – among the nation’s 50 states. Farmland comprises more than 12.4 million acres, making up nearly half of Kentucky’s total acreage.
Agriculture touches every aspect of our lives, from the clothes we wear to the fuel that powers our communities. By engaging students early, we’re not only fostering appreciation but also preparing the next generation of farmers, scientists, business leaders, and innovators who will keep Kentucky agriculture strong. Investing in education today ensures a thriving, sustainable industry for tomorrow.
For more information on Agriculture Education Week, the history and diversity of Kentucky agriculture lesson plans and resources, and how you can get involved in this initiative, visit the All In for Ag Education Week website.
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