The education world is changing and during this challenging time of teaching students remotely,
our teachers have asked us for help. As a part of the Cornell Cooperative Extension system, our
objective is to serve our communities and help meet their needs regardless of whether the
community is a classroom or an individual’s home. Our SoyScience project proposal is a model
to not only successfully serve our local students and teachers this school year, but for years to
come. With this, we can have a long-term impact and a broadened reach through the utilization
of technology and social media.
The Livingston County CCE AITC program in collaboration with the Monroe County CCE 4-H
Youth Development program can help our educators teach science while simultaneously
showcasing the amazing strides our plant breeders and farmers have made over the past
century. There is a growing need to help our students and educators reconnect with agriculture
in order to better understand farming practices in and surrounding their communities.
Additionally, there is a need to re-establish the connection between students and educators and
the industry and farmers who produce the food on their table, fuel in their vehicle and
ingredients in their everyday products.
The CCE Livingston Ag in the Classroom Program has demonstrated the ability to successfully
adapt programming during school closures. We seek to build upon our 2020 success in
reaching over 3,000 youth contacts from March to June with learning science kits in the areas of
soybeans and ruminant digestion. Our program works annually with over 500 in-school
educators and have personally spoken to several who have told us, “We need help!”. That help
includes research-based resources, time, and the ability to continually provide additional
learning opportunities in science utilizing virtual learning platforms.
The SoyScience Program and it’s 5 lessons will provide the much needed help that educators
all over NYS are seeking. A collaboration with CCE Monroe’s 4-H Youth Development team will
help this programming find a broader and more diverse audience. With serving 21 school
districts, Monroe County CCE has the potential to reach many youth. Monroe 4-H has a track
record of innovative programming, creating strong relationships with community partners, which
will only strengthen the work through the SoyScience project.
How can we help educators during the challenges of COVID? The answer is providing creative
instructional lessons that provide an impact on multiple levels - instruction that supports and
reaffirms current learning standards; lessons that provide needed supplemental science
education; hands on-activities that help students better understand the science behind food
production; and demonstrating the interconnectedness of science, agriculture, environment and
community. We can help minimize the gap in agricultural knowledge that has been growing
over generations by creating and implementing a successful educational model amid a difficult
challenge faced by our youth and educators.
This SoyScience educational program will adapt curriculum from www.nourishthefuture.org for
in-person, virtual and asynchronous learning. To accomplish this, staff will modify lesson
content and materials to reach and engage students in all learning settings. We will:
? Create and video record 5 lessons in the area of biotechnology based on
curriculum found at www.nourishthefuture.org . Lessons will be divided into a
series of short video segments where applicable.
? Video recorded lesson segments will be made available through YouTube and
Facebook for asynchronous teaching. Where appropriate, we will provide a
downloadable student learning guide (PDF) to help guide learning, record
answers and observations, as well as, stimulate higher level thinking.
? Deliver lessons utilizing each school district’s preferred/required virtual learning
platform (Zoom, Google Meet or Microsoft Teams). Where applicable, learning
science kits and student learning guides (PDFs) will be provided to students and
teachers to facilitate and enhance the virtual learning experience.
? Create individual learning science kits for classrooms or community participants
to support virtual instruction and help teachers provide a high level of rigor while
adapting to COVID challenges. This hand-on component will be accompanied by
a learning guide adapted from content found at www.nourishthefuture.org to
facilitate virtual programming.
? Disseminate learning science kits to school districts staff delivery depending on
school closures and NYS guidance.
? Collect video content from local farms and farmers and incorporate into
instructional lessons to reinforce lesson content. Video content may include soil
conservation methods, plant breeding, GMO utilization and traits, and farmer
testimonials and footage of the adoption of technology or soil conservation
methods.
? Market and provide asynchronous programming and science kits, as requested,
to all school districts in Livingston County and 10 districts in Monroe County.
? Market and provide virtual programming opportunities for interested community
members outside of the traditional school setting.
? Share created lessons and materials with CCE Ag in the Classroom and 4-H
Educators during monthly New York State CCE Ag in the Classroom meetings.
These meetings are attended by over 30 CCE educators from across New York.
? Administer pre and post test surveys to students and educators to measure the
impact, effectiveness and success of each lesson. Results will allow us to
scaffold current knowledge building upon what students already know.
Utilizing the Biotechnology Curriculum featured at www.nourishthefuture.org , this 5 part lesson
series will target grades 9-12th. Featuring 5 lessons highlighting biotechnology and we will
provide a hands-on science kit of supplies as needed to school districts to support learning.
Having spoken to high school science teachers in our area they have stated that COVID has
definitely changed how they are executing lessons and stated that having a program like Ag in
the Classroom to help procure and supply student science materials and provide education
support would be tremendously helpful.
Our experience in the classroom has taught us that students need to be kept engaged for an
impact to be made. These 10 lessons will be recorded in mini-segments, where applicable, to
help students remain engaged. Teachers can easily use these mini-segments in class as well.
Videos will be linked on social media and in all printed materials.
To assess the success of this endeavor our program will utilize the results of the pre and post
test surveys for students and educators. Results of these surveys will allow us to scaffold
current knowledge, building upon what students already know. Additionally, this will enable us to
identify what older students in the county are concerned about, the questions they have and
what misinformation they’ve heard. This will drive future program efforts to help dispel this
misinformation.
Soy-Sational Discovery lesson series will help develop the next generation of informed
consumers, community members, decision makers and future ag professionals. Sharing the
science and technology with youth in a way that they can understand is the first step in helping
them develop a long term understanding of our farmers and the story of food production. This is
a long-lasting relationship that many are unaware of, but they are learning bits and pieces of the
science in their classrooms. Our purpose is to help them make the connections among the
happenings on the farm, food production and ultimately the health and welfare of our global
environment and populations.

Create a virtual/asynchronous lesson series for grades 9-12 utilizing the
www.nourishthefuture.org curriculum focusing on biotechnology.
? Offer above mentioned lesson series to all ten public school districts and all three
private schools in Livingston County and at least 10 public school districts in Monroe
county making at least 2,000 youth contacts in grades 9 to 12.
? Place lessons on social media platforms reaching 1,000 views- Facebook and
YouTube.
? Share the messages of the New York Corn and Soybean Association and the Soybean
Check-off Program on all classroom materials, video content, and during each lesson
ensuring that both students and educators have exposure to these organizations and
how they benefit soybean growers.
? Increase student awareness and knowledge of soybeans as a crop, soybean uses,
and soybean farming practices through teaching factual, research-based information
about: the science used to develop plant technologies and the definitions of
terminology used.
? Conduct and analyze pre and post-test surveys to measure the increase in student
awareness, knowledge and attitude toward the soybean industry and soybean uses.
The results will prompt program improvement and effectiveness and further develop
specific lessons and the overall program to better meet goals and objectives.
? Guide learning content through paper learning guides, virtual platforms and direct
inquiry, meeting the needs of all learners.
? Provide learners and educators with hands-on kits to reinforce learning and provide
hands-on opportunities that demonstrate the science in action.
? Demonstrate to students and educators how New York soybean growers are adopters
of the latest science and technology.
? Students will identify the different types of genetic modification and advancements in
plant modification techniques.
? Students engaged in genetic modification lessons will be able to differentiate the
various types of plant genetic modification used in agriculture and food production.
? Improve student and educator image of the soybean industry, its products and its
farmers/producers.
? Introduce students to the various STEM career opportunities available in the soybean
industry as well as in agriculture industries associated with it.
? Guide students and educators in formulating their own opinions about the New York
soybean industry, its growers and its products using the latest science enabling them
to make more informed decisions as adult consumers and career seekers.

The short-term goal of the AITC SoyScience lessons, created utilizing the curriculum on
www.nourishthefuture.org is to serve our educational community during a challenging time.
This endeavor will also allow us to turn a seemingly challenging situation into one we can
capitalize on for the benefit of our farmers and agricultural professionals. We will take
advantage of this opportunity to share the science involved in soybean development,
production, and environmental sustainability. Our science teachers have asked for our help in
these areas and we aim to deliver quality educational programming to meet the needs of today’s
students as well as the needs of students for years to come.
Through this project the Livingston County Agriculture in the Classroom program in
collaboration with the Monroe County 4-H program will develop lessons with guided science
materials and kits, delivered asynchronously and will be able to be shared and used for years to
come. Our AITC and 4-H Program will use the high school science curriculum from
www.nourishthefuture.org in the area of biotechnology to help educators meet their educational
standards while highlighting the science adopted and supported by our New York State soybean
growers. Students and educators will be provided the opportunity to develop their own
impressions of this New York commodity and the science behind its production. With
asynchronous lessons, supported with printed materials and hands-on content for learners, the
program has the opportunity to help dispel the large amount of misinformation gathered in the
periphery.
In the long-term, we are growing and developing educated consumers and community
members. The materials created through this SoyScience project also have the capacity to be
utilized for years to come. Our program can use this content every year when reaching middle
and high school populations with hands-on science lessons. With sharing this content on social
media the reach will go even further and be utilized throughout New York. This will lead to
interminable support for the science behind the farming. Many have a negative view of
agriculture, still equating it with archaic technology and antiquated thinking. Programs like
SoyScience will help dispel the misconceptions that students and teachers have, as well as,
develop the next generation of science and agricultural supporters.

Update:
This project will be implemented during the last 6 months of the year. No work has been done as of yet. Work will begin in July

Update:
2021 New York Corn & Soybean Association Grant
12/31/21 Progress Report
CCE Livingston County Ag in the Classroom Program: Soy-Science

The CCE Livingston County Ag in the Classroom Program (AITC) implemented the Soy-Science Lesson Project during the fourth quarter of the current grant year (December included). Utilizing the Nourish the Future Curriculum (www.nourishthefurure.org), hands-on classroom lessons were created and offered to all ten public and 3 private schools in Livingston County. Lessons focused on the important roles that soil and science play in soybean growth & production, as well as the practices of environmental stewardship and sustainability implemented by New York State soybean growers.

Our lead AITC Educator developed five engaging and grade-appropriate lessons for grades 3-6 and 11 & 12 using the Nourish the Future Curriculum as the educational foundation for each lesson. These lessons included The Soil Triangle, Soil Texture I & II, Population Growth, and a soil health and microorganism lesson and activity titled “Soil your Undies”. All five lessons were offered to the above-mentioned schools with only three requesting lessons - Avon & Dansville Central School Districts and Lima Christian School (Private School). A total of 46 classrooms each received 45 minutes of lesson instruction time. This resulted in a total number of 642 student contacts (1 student = 45 minutes of instruction time.

The total number of student contacts is less than our project goal of 1,500 at this time. This is due to two unplanned circumstances. One was the unpredictability of COVID in schools during the fall. Class sizes and the number of opportunities for instruction were more limited than originally anticipated. The other was the time of year this topic was offered. Teachers indicated that fall was not a good time of year to provide instruction on this topic. Late winter/early spring is a better fit for both time of year (soil = spring and planting) and syllabus schedules. These two circumstances made it challenging to reach our total student contact goal.

Our lead educator will continue to offer lessons in January adding to the number of total student contacts. This will enable us to have a final number that is closer to our project goal. These additional lessons will be included in our final project report.

Update:

View uploaded report

2021 New York Corn & Soybean Association Grant
End of Project Final Report
CCE Livingston County Ag in the Classroom Program: Soy-Science

PROJECT SUMMARY

The CCE Livingston County Ag in the Classroom Program (AITC) implemented the Soy-Science Lesson Project during the fourth quarter of the 2021 and the first quarter of the 2022 grant year. Utilizing the Nourish the Future Curriculum (www.nourishthefurure.org), hands-on classroom lessons with educational videos were created and offered to all ten public and three private schools in Livingston County to help educate students on the importance of soil to the soybean industry and to the environment. The combination of in-person and video instruction platforms provided the flexibility for our lead educator to offer instruction to classrooms regardless of current COVID regulations and/or teacher needs during a very fluid situation for classrooms. Lessons and videos focused on the important roles that soil and science play in soybean growth & production, as well as the practices of environmental stewardship and sustainability implemented by New York State soybean growers.

Our lead AITC Educator created three high-quality soil educational videos that included content from local agriculture professionals and a collaboration with CCE Monroe for video production. These videos were created with the purpose of being multi-functional for numerous applications: 1) A stand-alone introduction to the specific soil topic, 2) a supplemental piece to the in-person or asynchronous lesson, and 3) the ability to be utilized by teachers online for years to come providing an impact to future students. Please find the titles and links to the three videos below:

“Population Growth” https://cornell.box.com/s/upv9n2tb9fhtm8vufiaco0xtxri2kyua

“Soil is Alive” https://cornell.box.com/s/af5z0bwvddieu0z6n4imsmhyr6g4w54d

“Soil Texture” https://cornell.box.com/s/2n7wvkgqbkr84bw31px29qk56m8nv2xf

Five engaging and grade-appropriate lessons were created by our lead educator for grades 3-12 using the Nourish the Future Curriculum as the educational foundation for each lesson. These lessons included “Soil Texture I & II” a two-part soil texture lesson, “Population Growth”, and a two-part soil health and microorganism lesson and activity titled “Soil your Undies”.

All five lessons were offered to all ten public and three private schools in Livingston. Each of the five lessons focused on a specific aspect of soil and the critical role it plays in the world’s soybean (and food) production. “Soil Texture I & II” Lessons” lesson introduced students to the process of how soil is made up of sand, silt, and clay, how the percentage of those can play a role in growing crops. This lesson touched on how farmers may change their management practices based upon the soil texture, and showcased the Web Soil Survey and how it can be used by farm and agricultural professionals, to make field and cropping decisions based on science and data. Students were able to research the soil at their homes and in their communities. The “Population Growth” Lesson provided an eye-opening experience for youth to better understand how very little of the earth’s is available for food, fuel, and fiber production for an ever-increasing population. The realization that more land and soil cannot be produced to increase food production and the only way to increase food production on a large scale is to maximize the ability of the land and soil was very impactful on students. The “Soil your Undies” two-part lesson provided students the opportunity to learn what a soil microbiome is, how soil is an ecosystem of living and nonliving that supports life. Student’s grew soil organisms in a petri dish, after digging a hole to “plant” a pair of underwear. Students were able to observe the growth of the soil microorganisms overtime on their petri dishes. The role of the microorganisms grown in their petri dishes will be reinforced when students dig up the underwear in the spring. They will be able to observe how much of the underwear is decomposed and learn the health of the soil by the amount of decomposition, seeing firsthand the importance of a healthy soil microbiome.

*IMPACT REPORT

Total Lessons Instructed 103
Total Student Contacts
(1 Student = 45 mins. of Instruction Time) 1,676
Total Students Reached 485
Total Instruction Hours 76.25

*This report includes classrooms that have committed to completing the second part of the “Soil Your Undies” lesson.

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

We will have exceeded one of our primary Key Performance Indicators once all lessons are completed – Total Student Contacts. We have commitment from all classrooms that completed the first of two “Soil Your Undies” lessons that they will complete the second lesson with our lead educator as soon as weather allows for digging up the soil microbiome. The final Total Student Contact number will be 1,676, exceeding our goal of 1,500. Other Key Performance Indicator results are incomplete as of the time of this report. In addition to the above-mentioned lessons yet to be completed, other lessons have just recently been completed due to classroom schedules and timing of lesson content and final survey data is still being received. However, initial data and feedback is indicating we are on target to meet or exceed most of our key performance indicators. A Complete and final report of Key Performance Indicators will be provided as soon as possible.

EXPRESSION OF GRATITUDE

We sincerely want to thank the New York Corn and Soybean Association for your support of our work. Agriculture science education and literacy among youth throughout New York State is necessary, as our youth are further removed from the production of their food. Our goal is to provide our local youth with the knowledge and science literacy to understand what is happening right on our communities’ farms. In addition to this, we are working to encourage and provide the knowledge for our youth to make future informed decisions regarding their food. We appreciate this opportunity to share the practices of our New York State soybean farms, the science & technology they are using and the positive strides they are making in sustainability and conservation. We also appreciate the opportunity to further help farms and farmers create a future in which the population is equipped with the knowledge and wisdom to both make healthy informed choices in the grocery store, as well as appreciate the impact of New York agriculture on individuals each and every day. Again, thank you!

This project will benefit soybean growers in New York State and the New York Corn & Soybean
Growers Association as a result of the following:
? Providing recognition and promotion of the New York Soybean Growers Association on
all classroom lesson materials and in the classrooms during all lessons as the funder
and supporter of education.
? Increasing consumer knowledge about how the science of genetic engineering will help
consumers better navigate the myriad of accessible information.
? Reaching more urban and suburban populations in collaboration with CCE Monroe.
? Educating the next generation of consumers and current teacher consumers to become
more scientifically versed in discerning factual from non-factual information relating to
food marketing and scientific food production claims.
? Providing future decision-makers with research-based knowledge about the science and
technology used in agriculture. Students will learn about and valueof the various types
of genetic modification and understand the approval process these technologies must
pass before reaching the marketplace and consumer.
? Current and future consumers will learn the value and uses of soybeans, genetic
modification, as related to their life, community, environment, and sustainability.
? Students and educators will develop a better understanding and appreciation for the
many and varied job and career opportunities available in both the soybean industry and
production agriculture.
? Students, educators and communities will become more familiar with the NY Corn and
Soybean Association as we share lessons on social media
? Lessons will be offered asynchronously enabling easy access, sharing and greater
utilization of lessons by educators, homeschool groups and families.
? Lessons will be marketed directly to Livingston and Monroe County educators, as well
as, promoted to homeschool groups and individual families through social media
platforms.