For Teachers

Additional Resources

References for Learning Fields

Books:

Morain, Thomas, Nielsen, Lynn, and Schwieder, Dorothy. Iowa Past to Present: The People and the Prairie. Iowa State University Press: 1989

Anderson, J.L. Industrializing the Corn Belt. Northern Illinois University Press: 2009

Hurt, R. Douglas. American Agriculture: A Brief History. Iowa State University Press: 1994

Gardner, Bruce L. American Agriculture in the Twentieth Century: How it Flourished and What it Cost. Harvard University Press: 2006

Fussell, Betty. The Story of Corn. Knopf Printing Edition: 1992

Wallace, Henry A. Corn and its Early Fathers. Iowa State University Press: 1988

Harrington, Roy. Grandpa’s John Deere Tractors. American Society of Agriculture: 1996

Websites:

Iowa Food and Family Project

Iowa Soybean Association

Iowa Corn Growers Association

Where can you go for more information on agriculture today?

These government and university departments will be helpful:

Iowa Department of Agriculture & Land Stewardship

Iowa State University Extension

Iowa Future Farmers of America

Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs

State Historical Society of Iowa

University of Iowa Goldfinch publications available for free download

Issues specifically related to farming:

Corn, volume 14: number 3 (1993)
“Farming,” vol. 11, no. 3 (Feb. 1990)
“The Wallaces of Iowa,” vol. 12, no. 3 (Feb. 1991)
“4H and Iowa,” vol. 9, no. 3 (Feb. 1988)
“Early Agriculture,” vol. 2, no. 3 (Feb. 1981)

These groups have information on crops and animals:

Iowa Soybean Association

Iowa Corn Growers Association

Iowa Turkey Federation

Iowa Pork Producers Association

Midwest Dairy Association

Iowa Beef Industry Council

Iowa Egg Council

Iowa Farm Bureau Federation – Agriculture in the Classroom (especially for Polk County, Iowa)

Iowa Sheep Industry Association

Practical Farmers of Iowa

Prairie Californian

Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education

For information on organic farming, check out these websites:

Iowa State University’s Organic Agriculture

Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture

Other fun places to learn about soil’s role in agriculture:

Learn about soil through the Underground Adventure virtual exhibit from the Field Museum (Chicago)

Dig It! The Secrets of Soil from the Smithsonian

The Dirt on Soil: What’s Really Going on Under the Ground from Discovery Education