Connie Willadsen - Ashland-Greenwood
Connie Willadsen's 4th grade students from Ashland-Greenwood Public Schools will focus on the theme, "Agriculture for Life." Connie would like her students to be aware of the impact agriculture has on the state's economy, social, human and geographic lifestyle. She is building her resource library about Nebraska agriculture by purchasing Nebraska Agriculture in the Classroom educational materials.

Julie Walling - Omaha
This project, "Where Should I Build My Farm?" will involve 5th grade students at Crestridge Magnet Center in Omaha. The students will research the types of soil best suited for the crop(s) to be grown on their farm. They will need to justify their choices by doing research on different soil types and crop(s). After researching the soils and crops, each group will present to the class where they will build their farm and the crop(s) they will grow. At the end of the project, the students will go to the Omaha zoo and compare the rainforest and desert soils for determining why plants need certain types of soil to grow.

Lori Broady - Johnson-Brock
Students at Johnson-Brock Public Schools in grades 9-12 will be interviewing farmers of various ages with a focus on how technology, techniques and the economy of agriculture have changed over the past several generations. The students will edit the podcast and use this information to study the major changes in agriculture in the past 50 years. Many of the Nebraska State Standards in social studies will be met by completing this project.

Sandy Dorn - Lincoln
For several years, Sandy's 4th grade students have benefited from the AITC Learning Barn. Each year the students enjoy the DVD's and literature books in the Learning Barn, but the barn cannot stay in their classroom for the entire year. Sandy, in cooperation with the media specialist at Meadow Lane Elementary School are "weeding out" the old literature books and videos and will replace some with DVD's and literature books that focus on agriculture. Sandy's students, along with the entire school, will be able to enjoy great agriculture resources all year.

Angela Holdren - Omaha
Angela's class at Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School in Omaha will enjoy a field trip to Gifford Farm. These funds will help inner-city students with hands-on and minds-on experiences. The students will participate in a one and a half hour program to learn about livestock, crops and equipment. During the tour the students will be using their five senses to explore the farm and the Outdoor Nature Classroom. These students are also involved in the AITC Ag Pen Pal program, so they will be writing letters to their Pen Pal family about their experiences at Gifford Farm.

Randy Lienemann - Franklin
In Randy Lienemann's Natural Science class, his student Collin Marks is concerned about the quality of water in the river. For this science project he will test the water in the river for the amount of iron to see if the amount is harmful. Many old cars are located along the river's edge which contains iron. If the iron level is greater than 10 milligrams per liter this can be harmful to fish, wildlife and livestock that use the river for their drinking water. These funds will be used to purchase a Hach Iron Testing Kit Ir-21 and other equipment to complete this science inquiry State Standard.