IL CORN SUPPORTS VIRTUAL FIELD TRIP FOR 37,000 STUDENTS
Tricia Braid

On Tuesday, April 5, 2016, U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance (USFRA) in conjunction with Discovery Education, provided high school students nationwide a firsthand glimpse into contemporary agriculture through the Discovering FARMLAND Virtual Field Trip hosted at Deere & Company World Headquarters in Moline, Illinois. The Illinois Corn Marketing Board, through a corn checkoff dollar investment, supported this event to help make students and their teachers more aware of what really happens on farms. ICMB has also provided a copy of the Farmland DVD to libraries in Illinois so that more people have the opportunity to view the documentary film.
More than 1,200 classrooms and 37,000 students from urban and rural classrooms participated virtually. Attending in-person included USFRA’s board members, affiliates, industry partners, students and educators (from Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences, Calamus Wheatland High School, North Scott High School, AlWood High School), Quad-Cities and ag trade media. The virtual field trip garnered nearly 30 media placements and features in affiliate newsletters.
MEDIA COVERAGE HIGHLIGHTS:
CBS 8 San Diego – Students Nationwide Journey Inside Smart Farms
Discovery Education Blog – 4 Ways to Celebrate National Agriculture Day
EIN Newsdesk – Students Nationwide Journey Inside Smart Farms
FOX 8 New Orleans – Students Nationwide Journey Inside Smart Farms
Morningstar – Students Nationwide Journey Inside Smart Farms
Virtual-Strategy Magazine – Students Nationwide Journey Inside Smart Farms
Ag Information Network – The Smart Farm: Where Technology and Innovation Meet
AgriMarketing – U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance Launches Youth Educational Program
AgriTalk – Randy Krotz of USFRA joins the AgriTalk Panel as they talk about an ag virtual classroom
AgWeb – Students Take a Virtual High-Tech Farming Field Trip
AgWired – Discovering FARMLAND Offers Virtual Field Trip
FarmWeekNow – High schoolers featured in high tech field trip to farms
KMZU Radio – U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance brings the farm to the classroom
KWQC-TV (NBC, Quad-Cities) – Students go on virtual field trip to various farms
Missouri Ruralist – Free field trip to a "Smart Farm"
Quad-City Times – Virtual reality helps farmers connect to kids, public
This Week in Agribusiness – Max Armstrong speaks with USFRA about an upcoming program that reaches high school students
WHBF-TV (CBS, Quad-Cities) – Students take virtual farm field trip
Wisconsin Farm Report – Students Nationwide Journey Inside Smart Farms
Additionally, FarmWeek, farmprogress.com, Good Housekeeping and Illinois AgriNews intend to run the story.