A dozen authors have been selected to learn more about life on the farm with the hope to turn those experiences into ways to help children learn more about agriculture. The American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture says the 12 will receive a $1,500 stipend plus room, meals, tour transportation, event registration and all materials to attend the Jan. 7-10 event in Orlando, Florida.
The authors are Shennen Bersani, Massachusetts; Lisl Detlefsen, Wisconsin; Susan Grigsby, Missouri; Katie Irk, Indiana; Loreen Leedy, Florida; Lela Nargi, New York; Eric Ode, Washington state; Albert Monreal Quihuis, Arizona; Lizzy Rockwell, Connecticut; Michael Spradlin, Michigan; Peggy Thomas, New York; and Sandra Neil Wallace, New Hampshire.
The focus of the training will be life on cattle ranches. Exploring ways to effectively reach children with valuable information about food and nutrition will be a highlight.
The event will provide an open dialogue, with the opportunity for exploration and enriching creative time. Authors will tour farms and ranches, engaging in conversation and discussion panels with real farmers and ranchers. The experience will also provide an excellent opportunity to connect with the men and women involved in food production from across the nation at the American Farm Bureau’s Annual Convention. Authors will learn how to enrich their storytelling with the history and heritage of food production.
Attendees will also have the opportunity to attend the Foundation’s live announcement of its 2016 Book of the Year on Sunday, Jan. 10. Participating authors will be recognized at this event, with expected attendance of more than 2,000 families, educators and state literacy coordinators from across the country. Agricultural experience is not a requirement to participate in the training.
The program is funded by the Beef Checkoff Program.