Sarasota County's University of Florida/
Institute of Food and Agriculture Sciences
(UF/IFAS) Extension staff and volunteers will
participate in this year's Florida Agriculture
in the Classroom's (FAITC) Literacy Day on
Tuesday, April 29, the county has announced.
"During this annual event, in elementary class-
rooms across the state, volunteers read an
agriculture-related book to inform students
about the importance of farming in Florida,"
a news release explains.
This year, Extension staff is pairing volunteers
with interested teachers to reach an antici-
pated 375 children in classrooms throughout
Sarasota County, the release points out.
Each year, FAITC provides books and supple-
mental materials to participating volunteers,
the release continues. The current book selec-
tion, targeted to elementary-age children, is
titled Florida Farms at School, written by
Arlette Roberge.
This book provides an overview of farmers
and uses of their products, the release adds.
Extension is a partnership among Sarasota
County, UF/IFAS and the U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA), designed "to translate
research into community initiatives, classes
and volunteer opportunities," the release says.
F o r m o r e i n f o r m a t i o n a b o u t F l o r i d a
Agriculture Literacy Day, contact Stacy
S p r i g g s , c o m m u n i t y a n d s c h o o l g a r-
dens coordinator, at 861-9815, or visit
sarasota.ifas.ufl.edu. %
AGRICULTURE LITERACY DAY TO BE OBSERVED IN COUNTY
Florida's Farm History has been read to
students on past observances of Agriculture
Literacy Day. Image courtesy Florida
Agriculture in the Classroom
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Sarasota News Leader April 18, 2014 Page 94
