Summer teacher tours applications open

ST. PAUL — Minnesota educators looking for unique summer professional development opportunities are invited to explore Minnesota Ag in the Classroom’s Summer Teacher Tours. Four tours will be offered this June and July in different regions of the state, providing educators with multiple options to experience Minnesota agriculture in action.

“From touring a turkey farm to adventuring in the North Woods, this year’s Summer Teacher Tours are sure to provide a number of memorable agricultural experiences for educators to bring back to their classrooms,” said Sue Knott, Minnesota Ag in the Classroom Education Specialist.

The four tours being offered this summer include:

A Day in the Life of a Farmer (June 20): This tour offers the opportunity to explore different teams that a farmer relies on to do their job well, including financing, equipment selection, and ethanol production. The day ends with time for connection at a local winery.

It’s a Mystery Tour! (June 21): This tour will showcase the unique and diverse parts of north central Minnesota. Be ready for hands-on experiences and a little cruise to wrap up your adventures in what many call the North Woods.

Finding Food for All (July 12): Join MAITC on a visit with Second Harvest Heartland and Open Cupboard to learn how nonprofit organizations keep their communities fed.

Harvest of the Month (July 20): This farm to fork teacher tour will allow educators to gain first-hand knowledge and experience with every step of the farm to school process. Attendees will meet thirdgeneration turkey farmers at Ferndale Market, see how animal proteins are processed at Lorenz Meats, and dig into fruit and veggie production at Waxwing

Produce Farm.

Tours are open to any K-12 educator, regardless of previous agriculture knowledge or experience. The registration deadline is June 1.

For further details on each tour and to register, visit the Summer Teacher Tour webpage at https:// mnagmag.org/teacher-tours/.

This article was submitted by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. v know well from Genesis. Adam and Eve were in the garden and had just eaten the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which God had directly told them not to. Picking up the story in chapter 3:9, we read, “The LORD God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.”” Adam and Eve were afraid, embarrassed by their nakedness, and hid. Sounds familiar. My son was afraid and embarrassed, so he hid.

I was then hit squarely: I do exactly the same thing. I become embarrassed and hide — from my family, peers, and God. I hide behind a veneer, showing that I have everything together. I present the best version of myself and hide my jealous, prideful, or greedy imperfections. I hide because I am afraid and embarrassed. If my family, peers, or God saw the imperfections, would they still choose me?

The answer was lying in how I responded to my son and in how God responded to Adam and Eve in the garden. A resounding YES! Yes, I still choose my son! We worked together to clean up the accident and moved on! God, in his grace, provided Adam and Eve with clothing, and they moved on!

Friends, there is no need for us to live behind a veneer. Let’s begin peeling off the front and exposing the imperfections rather than hiding them. Let’s live as those who are no longer afraid or embarrassed but as people who know we are created, chosen, and loved by God.

Whitney Nesse is a sixth-generation livestock farmer who is deeply rooted in her faith and family. She writes from her central Minnesota farm. v