Helpful Websites

Originally Compiled by Mary Jasek; Updated by Natalie Knackstedt and Trace Ulrich

General Agriculture:

United States Department of Agriculture -

http://www.usda.gov

Agriculture in the Classroom – Teacher resources, great links to animals,

biotechnology, conservation education, encyclopedias, general agriculture

nutrition, organizations, plants, soils and crops, and science.

Gardening – Gardening basics (planting, insect and disease control, nutrient

management, mulching, composting, plant hardiness zones, wildflowers, etc.),

gardening solutions, conservations basics.

USDA for Kids – History and facts about Agriculture, cool lonks, photos, search

USDA.

Newsroom, Office of Communications, Publications - Agricultural Fact Book:

Structure of U.S. Agriculture, major uses of U.S. cropland, farm income, natural

resources and environment, etc.

Other Helpful USDA Agencies, Services and Programs -

Agricultural Research Service (ARS) -

http://www.ars.usda.gov

Find the expert.

National Agricultural Library -

http://www.nal.usda.gov

“Major international source of agriculture and related information.”

Economic Research Service (ERS) -

http://ers.usda.gov

State fact sheets, U.S. Ag Trade Database

National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) -

http://www.usda.gov/nass

Census of Agriculture, agricultural graphics, state information.

Texas Department of Agriculture-

http://www.agr.state.tx.us

Education - Project Teach (lesson plans, food safety websites, additional

agriculture resources). Urban Schools Grant Program ($2500 grant program to

teach agriculture in large urban school district elementary schools.

Texas Agricultural Statistics Service - http://www.nass.usda.gov/tx/

Agricultural Statistics for State of Texas, including information by county.

Texas Farm Bureau -

http://www.txfb.org

Ag in the Classroom - Videos about crops and livestock in Texas, speakers, ag

fairs, in-service, workshops and class materials.

Planet Agriculture - Food safety, Ag’s importance to Texas, commodity

information (corn, rice, beef, etc.) and farm facts.

Commodity Information/Ag Statistics - Agricultural stewardship, Texas

agriculture statistics, leading states in agricultural production.

Agripedia (University of Kentucky) -

http://www.ca.uky.edu/agripedia/

Class Materials/Links - Provides great materials and links for all of the following

subject areas: general agriculture, agricultural biotechnology, agricultural

economics, agricultural engineering, agronomy, animal science, entomology,

forestry, landscape architecture, plant pathology, plant and soil sciences, rural

sociology.

Agri-Mania - Great materials including breeds of livestock, feed identification,

seed tag evaluation, seed identification, careers in agriculture and electronic field

trips.

Center for Global Food Issues -

http://www.cgfi.org

Scientific information on global issues; includes Dennis Avery articles, myths debunked, etc.

Desert Roses -

http://ag.arizona.edu/desert_roses/

Lesson plans and links to lessons including topics in Ag Issues, Ag Mechanics, Animal Science, Biotechnology, Environmental Science, Landscaping, Leadership and Soils.

Georgia Agricultural Education -

http://aged.ces.uga.edu/curriculum.htm

Lesson plans for various agricultural science courses for high school and middle school students as well as a source of teaching materials.

Glenrose FFA Power Point Lessons -

http://www.glenroseffa.org/lesson%20plans.htm

Power point lessons on wide variety of agricultural topics.

SURWEB -

http://www.surweb.org

Create/view collections, media shows, tests, as well as learning segments on agricultural topics - mostly horticultural sciences.

Texas Ag Teacher Lesson Plan Exchange -

http://www.aged.tamu.edu/lessonplan/search.asp

Search engine for lesson plans for most AGSC courses.

The Old Farmer’s Almanac -

http://www.almanac.com

Includes topics such as “best fishing days,” gardening, weather, seed swap, etc.

Animal Science:

Oklahoma State University -

http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/

Breeds of Livestock - http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds

Information and pictures of hundreds of breeds of cattle,

goats, horses, sheep, swine, poultry, donkeys, etc. Also links to other resources.

Spreadsheet Calculations - http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/software

Calculations for rations, feeding programs and ranching.

Agripedia (University of Kentucky) -

http://www.ca.uky.edu/agripedia/

(See “General Agriculture” for details)

The Electronic Zoo -

http://netvet.wustl.edu/ssi.htm

Lists of websites related to animals, including the Animal NetVet.

Lake Land College Judging -

http://www.swine.net/vljc.htm

Virtual livestock judging contest - 9 classes: sheep, heifers, swine.

University of Vermont Dairy Cattle Judging -

http://www.uvm.edu/~jagilmor/judging/judging.html

Two classes of dairy cows.

University of Missouri - Columbia Judging Techniques -

http://muextension.missouri.edu/xplor/agguides/ansci/g02952.htm

Basic livestock judging techniques and contest tips.

Hoard’s Dairyman Judging Contest -

http://www.uwex.edu/ces/dairyyouth/

Monthly placing classes, links to Hoard’s Dairyman and dairy quiz.

Agricultural Mechanics:

Lowe’s –

http://lowes.com

How-To Library – Topics on the following: lawn and garden, plumbing and

electrical, family projects, outdoor projects, concrete and masonry, etc.

Briggs and Stratton –

http://www.briggsandstratton.com

Teaching materials including texts, slides and videos.

Environmental and Natural Resources:

Environmental Protection Agency –

http://www.epa.gov/teachers

Curriculum Resources and Activities – Air, ecosystems, waste and recycling,

conservation and water.

U.S. Geological Survey –

http://www.usgs.gov

Education – The Learning Web, biology, geology, mapping, water.

Current Biological Issues

Geographical Perspectives

State of Hawaii –Biomass –

http://www.state.hi.us/dbedt/ert/bioma_hi.html

Describes use of biomass as an alternative energy source.

Texas State Aquarium –

http://www.aquariumteacher.com

Kid’s Page – Games, activities, family fun.

Educator Resources – Programs, curricula, sample marine lesson plans, field trips,

workshops.

CITGO Education – Lessons, games, experiments, glossary.

The Globe Programs –

http://www.globe.gov

“Globe is a worldwide hands-on, primary and secondary school-based science and education program. Information, pictures, videos, etc on environmental science topics.”

Case Study Teaching in Science –

http://ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/projects/cases/case.html

Lots of case studies including topics in anatomy/physiology, ecology/environmental science, geology, plant science, molecular biology/genetics.

FFA/SAE:

National FFA Organization –

http://www.ffa.org

Information anout the FFA, awards, careers, conferences, conventions, etc.

Texas AgEd Connection –

http://www.txaged.org

Links to: Texas FFA Association, VATAT, Texas FFA Foundation, Agricultural Science and Technology Course Offerings, TEKS.

SAE Central –

http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/agexed/sae/toolbox/index.html

Teacher Toolbox – Lesson plands, articles from Agricultural Education

Magazine.

Student Scrapbook – Types of SAE programs.

StAtE University – SAE courses at various universities.

Horticulture/Floral Design:

Aggie Horticulture-

http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu

Great photos and information on wide variety of topics including gardening, wildflowers, turf grasses, citrus, ornamentals, tissue culture, CEMAP, etc.

Ohio State University – Horticulture and Crop sciences

http://www.hcs.ohio-state.edu

Webgarden – Collection of websites created by students over topics such as

landscaping, composting, cultural gardens, etc.

Plant Directory – “Indexed system of teaching resources for the discipline of

Horticulture and Crop Sciences.”

Factsheet Database – “Guide for answering plant-related questions from 46

different universities and government institutions across the United States and

Canada.”

Kentucky Integrated Pest Management

http://www.uky.edu/agriculture/IPM/ipm.htm

Resources for Parents and Teachers – BUG-GO, a bingo-like game on beneficial

insects and pests.

Test your Scouting Skills- Try to figure out what problem is ailing the crops.

Society of American Florists – “About Flowers”

http://www.aboutflowers.com

Flower Judging –

http://www.calpoly.edu/~envhort/flower_judging.htm

Picture/critique of carnation, gerbera, gladiolus and snapdragon flowers.

Fine Gardening Online

http://www.taunton.com/fg/

Tips and articles from pages of Fine Gardening magazine. Links to other web sites for gardeners.

Oklahoma State CDE’s

http://www.okstate.edu/ag/asnr/hortla/needham/extension/ffa/ffa_cde.html

Floriculture and Nursery/Landscape CDE’s – floriculture identification and sample exam.

Soils/Topography:

Topozone

http://www.topozone.com

Topographic maps for entire U.S.

The Globe Program

http://archive.globe.gov

Good information and pictures about soils and other environmental science information.

Wildlife and Fisheries:

Texas Parks and Wildlife: Education

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/edu/

Lesson Plans and Classroom – Lesson plans, resources, workshops covering

topics in ecological concepts, terrestrial ecology, aquatic activities, nature and

conservation.

Wild Texas Fact Sheets

Nature Photography

Texas Natural Resources Web

http://texnat.tamu.edu

Information and Photos on subjects of Range and Wildlife Management, Youth

Program, Library, Events, etc.

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

http://www.fws.gov

Lots of information on wildlife, especially endangered species; includes pictures

and video clips.

The Game Wardens Place

http://www.hci.net/~decoydoc

“What is a Fisherman?” Slides of North American Animals, Links to North

American Wildlife Agencies, Videos of Wildlife Violations.

Miscellaneous:

Agricultural Resources – Chico H.S. Library

http://dewey.chs.chico.k12.ca.us/ag.html

Great list of agricultural resources organized in same format as this list.

K 12 Lesson Plans

http://teams.lacoe.edu/documentation/places/lessons.html

Provides access to lesson plans in science, math, social studies and other courses.