Silos & Smokestacks launches campaign to fund agriculture education

WATERLOO, Iowa – It’s November and the school year is well underway. Bright yellow school buses are rumbling down roads driving students to classrooms for a full day of lessons, tests and discovery. But learning doesn’t always happen in the four walls of a school. It can happen on a field trip, or even a road trip. Silos & Smokestacks National Heritage Area (SSNHA) is launching a year-end campaign to help fund hands-on learning about agriculture in schools and non-traditional classrooms, like farms, museums and historic sites. Donors can help offer firsthand learning experiences for students and adults alike. Our goal is to raise $40,000 by the end of 2017 to help fund these types of programs. “The agriculture stories told by SSNHA farms, museums and historic sites inspire learning and preserve our heritage,” said Cara Miller, Silos & Smokestacks president. “Hands-on and interactive learning gives all ages an opportunity to discover the importance of agriculture and the impact it has on our everyday lives.” A one-time donation of $75 will send 15 elementary-age students on a school trip to a farm. Or, it will provide a training session to an agriculture site volunteer, farmer or director on how to share their story of American agriculture. A donation of $75 will also pay for a teacher to attend a workshop on teaching agriculture in the classroom. Over the next few weeks SSNHA will share special stories from teachers, students, heritage area visitors and Silos & Smokestacks partner sites. Each personal story will share the impact of learning about agriculture both in the classroom and in the field.  “Our heritage is our legacy. It is also an irreplaceable source of life and inspiration,” said Miller. “Silos & Smokestacks exists to serve you and others who believe agricultural heritage is worth preserving and passing on to future generations. We are proud of our agricultural stories and believe they reveal the roots of who we are now and inspire our future.” For more information about SSNHAs campaign to help fund hands-on learning about agriculture in schools and non-traditional classrooms, please visit www.silosandsmokestacks.org/donate.  Through a network of sites, programs and events, Silos & Smokestacks National Heritage Area tells the story of farm life and agribusiness—past and present. Visitors can learn about and experience agriculture at a variety of museums, historic sites, and farms. One of 49 federally designated heritage areas in the nation, Silos & Smokestacks is an Affiliated Area of the National Park Service. The heritage area covers 37 counties in the northeast quadrant of Iowa. To plan your visit, go to www.silosandsmokestacks.org. - 30 -