Des Moines, Iowa – October 3, 2018– A new non-fiction book by children’s author Katie Olthoff is now available and tells the story of raising pigs on a modern Iowa farm. My Family’s Pig Farm is available by request free for students and teachers from the Iowa Agriculture Literacy Foundation (IALF). 

The story follows Caeden, a farm boy in Iowa whose family raises corn, soybeans, and pigs. Caeden takes the readers on a tour of the family farm and discusses how they use the manure from the pigs to help provide nutrients for the growing corn and soybeans. He discusses how they keep pigs healthy and use technology to keep them comfortable and fed. The book is written at a 3rd grade reading level and has supplemental text that gives additional background information for more advanced readers.

The book is the sixth in a series by Olthoff who is a former teacher and understands the importance of having high quality, relevant non-fiction books for students. Iowa Core educational standards require that up to 50% of student reading be informational or non-fiction. Olthoff writes the books for IALF in an effort to provide non-fiction, agriculture-based resources to schools.

“Iowa is a leader in pork production,” said Will Fett, IALF executive director. “My Family’s Pig Farm shows how pigs today are raised by farmers dedicate themselves to providing for the best health, well-being, and safety of their animals and about the safety of the food they produce.”

Olthoff lives on a working turkey farm in central Iowa with her husband and family. Her first book detailed how turkeys were raised on their family farm. She currently works for the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association as director of communications. She is active in the agriculture community in Iowa and beyond as a volunteer for Common Ground, a national network of farm women who share information on food and farming with consumers across the country. She has experience teaching and communicating about agriculture with her blog, On the Banks of Squaw Creek.

“Pork producers recognize that today’s consumers are asking more questions about where their food comes from and how it is raised,” said Joyce Hoppes of the Iowa Pork Producers Association. “Farm family’s welcome every chance we get to talk to people about modern pork production.”

Copies of the book are being made available to all Iowa elementary schools and additional copies are available on request. The book is a special project of the Iowa Agriculture Literacy Foundation with financial support from the Iowa Pork Producers Association and Ag Ventures Alliance. The book also has two lesson plan companion resources that will help teachers integrate the book into a science lesson, social studies lesson, or a language arts lesson. The lesson plans are aligned with Iowa Core standards and easily fit into an approved course of study.

For more information about this book or other education resources please contact the Iowa Agriculture Literacy Foundation at  info@iowaagliteracy.org.

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About the Iowa Agriculture Literacy Foundation
IALF serves as a central resource for educators and volunteers who want to teach Iowa’s students about agriculture. The mission is to educate Iowans, with a focus on youth, regarding the breadth and global significance of agriculture. Iowa is a leading producer of agricultural products that are essential to feed a growing world population, estimated to reach more than 9 billion by 2050. IALF believes it is important for all Iowans to understand the essential role agriculture has in their lives. IALF will support existing agriculture education efforts such as FFA, 4-H and Ag in the Classroom. IALF was created through a joint effort of agricultural stakeholders, including the Iowa Corn Growers Association, Iowa Farm Bureau Federation, Iowa Pork Producers Association, Iowa Soybean Association, Silos and Smokestacks Foundation, DuPont Pioneer, GROWMARK, and the Iowa Beef Industry Council. For more information visit IALF online at IowaAgLiteracy.org, on Facebook, and Twitter.

Source:
Iowa Agriculture Literacy Foundation

Contact:
Will Fett, Executive Director
Iowa Agriculture Literacy Foundation
WFett@IowaAgLiteracy.org
515-331-4182

Publish Date:
10/3/2018