Wisconsin agriculture produces foods from every food group to keep
us healthy.
Thank you for inviting the Wisconsin Dairy Council to your classroom.
This guide is a supplement the “Mapping out a Healthy Wisconsin”
presentation that was shared with your class. For more information,
visit wisconsindairycouncil.com or email [email protected].
As we learned about agriculture we also learned about
nutrition and nutrients.
We should all eat healthy foods every day.
Food contains nutrients – the parts of food needed to help our body
grow and stay healthy.
Additional Facts:
- One Wisconsin farmer produces enough healthy food for 155 people.
- Wisconsin farmers produce foods from every food group.
Who will share the five food groups that we should eat every day?
• Dairy Products (3 servings)
• Fruits (2-4 servings)
• Vegetables (3-5 servings)
• Whole Grains (6 servings)
• Protein Foods (2 servings)
Lesson Objectives:
Trivia Game Review
1.
2.
Review the healthy foods grown in Wisconsin. Read each clue and allow
students to guess the Wisconsin Product. Answers are bolded at the
top of each set of clues.
3.
4.
Remind kids to drink milk.
Define agriculture and describe the types of foods grown by
Wisconsin agriculture.
List the five food groups and describe how each group keeps the
body healthy.
Describe how Wisconsin Agriculture impacts Wisconsin’s economy.
Wisconsin Academic Standards
This lesson addresses the following standards:
Language Arts SL4.3; L4.6
Social Studies A.4.7; D.4.1; D.4.3; D.4.6
Math 4NF.6
Agriculture AS4.a.1.e; FPP1.a.2.e; FPP3.a.5.e; FPP4.b.1.e-FPP4.b.3.e
Nutrition A.4.1; A.4.4; B.4.4; D.4.3; F.4.4
Lesson Review
Today we learned about Agriculture. Agriculture is one of the biggest
businesses in Wisconsin.
Agriculture provides jobs that help our state’s economy.
We also learned about some of the foods produced in Wisconsin that are
healthy for us to eat.
Can anyone tell me the definition of the word agriculture?
Agriculture is farming. Which includes raising livestock (animals), and
growing crops (plants).
Almost half of the land in our state is owned by farmers (15 million acres)
One acre is roughly the size of a football field.
Agriculture makes up 1/9 of all jobs in Wisconsin’s workforce.
Wisconsin Dairy Farms are very important to our state,
contributing $43.4 billion dollars each year to our economy.
What does “economy” mean?
• Economy is the goods, services and money made and used by a
community and country
We are going to play a trivia game about some of the
foods grown and produced on Wisconsin farms that are
healthy for 4th graders to eat.
Before we start the game, let’s go over the rules:
• I will give clues about each Wisconsin food and you will need to
guess what I am describing.
• Follow your classroom rules.
• Listen carefully and don’t shout out your answers.
• Please stay seated unless you are asked to come up and help.
Milk
• Wisconsin has nearly 10,500 farms that produce this official state
beverage.
• 4th Graders need 3 servings of this beverage every day for strong
bones – all 206 of them.
* Although many cows live here, dairy cows live in almost every
part of Wisconsin.
* Chocolate milk has the same 9 essential nutrients as white
Fun Facts
* Each cow in Wisconsin makes 7 gallons of milk every day!
That’s enough for 110 8-ounce cartons!
* There are 1.25 million dairy cows in Wisconsin? That’s more
cows than there are kids in school!
Cheddar Cheese
•
•
America’s Dairyland has been the leader in producing this product
since 1910.
Whether it is mild, medium or sharp, eat this as an after-school
snack for a serving of powerful, bone-building calcium.
Fun Fact
* It takes more than ten pounds of milk to make just one pound
of cheese.
Mozzarella Cheese
• Wisconsin makes this cheese to top pizza, producing ¼ of the nation’s supply.
• The protein found in a serving of this cheese can help your body build strong muscles.
* Americans eat almost 90 acres of pizza per day (or about 350 slices per second!)
* Wisconsin cheesemakers produce over 600 varieties, types and styles of cheese.
Cherries
Beef
•
•
One large animal produces enough of this meat to make 720
quarter-pound burgers
One serving provides the protein you need to develop strong muscles.
* Protein doesn’t just come from beef. It can also be found in…
* Milk, nuts, turkey, eggs, cheese, chicken, fish, pork, yogurt
Trout
• In Wisconsin, this food is raised on aquaculture farms
• This food contains protein for strong muscles and healthy fats to protect our hearts.
* More trout are raised in Wisconsin than any other food fish. Rainbow, brook, and brown are the most common types.
* Fish Farms have been part of Wisconsin Agriculture since 1856!
* Trout is part of the protein food group. We need two servings of protein every day to help our muscles grow strong.
Wild Rice
• This aquatic crop can only be harvested by hand using boats and wooden paddles.
• This member of the grain group can be eaten to make up one of the six daily servings of whole grains.
* Wild rice was first harvested by Native Americans from low-lying wetlands.
Potatoes
• Wisconsin ranks 3rd in the nation for growing these starchy spuds.
• These are a good source of potassium, which is important for a healthy heart.
* The potato is the only vegetable that most 4th graders eat every day.
Green Beans
• Wisconsin produces 1/3 of the nation’s supply of this vegetable – more than any other state.
• This vegetable is one way we can get the 3 to 5 servings of greens we need every day.
* Christopher Columbus found green beans growing alongside corn (or maize) when he first came to America. Native
Americans grew and ate about the same amount of
green beans as they did corn.
• Most of this delicious Wisconsin fruit is grown in Door County orchards.
• Besides giving it its bright red color, the nutrients in this super fruit help keep you healthy.
* Each tree has about 7000 cherries- enough to make 28 pies!
Corn
• This is Wisconsin’s official state grain.
• When eaten fresh, this is usually classified as a vegetable. When eaten dried and popped, it’s a whole grain.
• Corn is a good source of carbohydrates, a nutrient our bodies and brain need for energy.
* The average ear of corn has 800 kernels. In order for a kernel to grow, it must have its own piece of silk!
Carrots
• Wisconsin grows more of these brightly colored root vegetables than any other state.
• This vegetable’s bright orange color tells you it’s an excellent source of Vitamin A, which is important for good eyesight.
* Vitamin A helps your body fight infection, and keeps your skin and hair healthy!
* Americans eat, on average, 10 pounds of fresh carrots per person per year.
Oats
• Wisconsin farmers grow this crop to feed both people and livestock.
• This grain group serving can be eaten for breakfast, hot or cold.
* Oats were the first crop to be turned into cereal or porridge – nearly 7,000 years ago!
Strawberries
•
•
Wisconsin farms grow over 1,000 acres of these each year – enough to fill over 8 million jars with jam.
Ounce for ounce, this fruit has more Vitamin C than oranges.
* Vitamin C helps keeps our bodies healthy by fighting infections
* Each strawberry has more than 200 seeds on the outside.
Green Peas
•
•
This small, round, green vegetable grows in pods.
Along with corn, carrots, potatoes and green beans these are part of the vegetable group.
* Green peas were Thomas Jefferson’s favorite vegetable.
Review: Nutrition, Wisconsin and You.
Tip: Review questions are open-ended so many answers will fit each
question.
List the 5 food groups. Can you give an example of a food
grown in Wisconsin for each group?
Dairy: Milk, Colby Cheese, Cheddar Cheese, Mozzarella Cheese
Fruits: Strawberries, Cherries, Cranberries
Vegetables: Green Beans, Potatoes, Carrots, Peas
Whole Grains: Wild Rice, Oats, Corn
Protein: Beef, Trout
Cranberries
• Wisconsin farms grow over half of the nation’s supply of this. No wonder it’s our official state fruit!
• We often drink this in juice, or eat it with our Thanksgiving turkey.
* Cranberries are an excellent source of nutrients to keep our bodies healthy.
* Wisconsin cranberry farms produce over 4.8 million barrels of cranberries each fall.
* One barrel of cranberries equals 100 pounds…how many pounds of cranberries does Wisconsin grow every year?
480 million pounds
Colby Cheese
• Almost all (90%) milk from Wisconsin farms is used to make cheese.
• A serving the size of an adult’s thumb of this Wisconsin original has as much calcium as a carton of milk.
* Wisconsin’s cheesemakers produce more than 2.8 billion pounds of cheese every year.
* Colby cheese was invented in the city of Colby, Wisconsin
in 1885.
©2015 Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board, Inc.
How do Wisconsin’s dairy farms contribute to our state’s
economy?
Farmers sell their product and use the money to purchase goods/services
for their farm.
Name a food that Wisconsin is the #1 producer of.
Describe how it helps keep your body healthy.
Cheddar Cheese: Calcium for strong bones, protein for strong muscles
Green Beans: Vitamins and minerals to keep our bodies healthy
Carrots: Vitamin A helps eyesight
Cranberries: Great source of nutrients to keep our bodies healthy
Assessment
Complete the student handout as a class activity to review the facts and
foods highlighted. Discuss some of the foods and their nutritional value
with the students.