Florida Ag Literacy Day draws 1,500 volunteer readers
The number of Florida agriculture industry representatives who gave time to read to students as part of Florida Agriculture Literacy Day grew about 15 percent to 1,500 this year, the event’s organizers estimate.
In honor of the March 15 Ag Literacy Day, volunteers fanned into schools across the state to read “Oh Say Can You Seed?” a book in the Cat in the Hat series about flowering plants.
Of the folks who read, 40 percent were Florida Future Farmers of America Association teachers and students, 31 percent were UF/IFAS extension and 4-H agents and master gardeners, 13 percent were Farm Bureau members and 3 percent were Florida Cattlemen and Cattlewomen members.
The remaining 13 percent listed other industry affiliations or none at all.
About 1,300 volunteers read for Ag Literacy Day in 2006.
The Florida nonprofit provides copies of the book to volunteers and asks that they donate them to school libraries once they’re done. Florida Ag in the Classroom also provides volunteers with a lesson tailored to the book, a packet of marigold seeds for teachers and agriculture-themed bookmarks for students.
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