Data, Charts. and Maps. Oh, My!

Main Ideas

Kentucky farms are diverse and produce a variety of crops and animals.
Local farms are important because they provide food, jobs, and income for Kentucky’s citizens.
Some crops and animals are grown in specific regions of Kentucky because of landforms, water sources, and resource availability.

Understandings, Concepts & Skills

Students will:

use maps, data, and charts to learn where Kentucky farmers grow the food we need.
compare how farmland, the number of farms, and farm income have changed in the past five years.
examine the different regions of Kentucky and which agricultural products come from each.
compare agricultural data from different Kentucky counties to learn how natural resources, landforms, and social and economic patterns affect what is produced in each county.
understand that early settlers chose to adapt to the land to raise certain types of food, and they modified the land to be more suitable for raising food, such as clearing forests for cropland or grazing animals.
discuss job opportunities based on the agricultural enterprises in each county.
discuss opportunities for growth in areas where agriculture is scarce.

Kentucky Academic Standards

CAREER STUDIES
C.P.2 C.I.3

SOCIAL STUDIES

K.E.MA.1, K.E.KE.1, K.G.HE.1, K.H.KH.1, 1.E.MI.1, 1.E.MA.1, 1.E.ST.1, 1.E.KE.1, 1.G.MM.1, 1.G.HE.1, 2.E.MI.1, 2.3.MI.2, 2.E.MA.2, 2.E.ST.1, 2.E.KE.1, 3.E.IC.1, 3.E.KE.1, 3.G.HE.1, 3.H.KH.1, 4.E.MI.1, 4.E.IC.1, 4.E.IC.1, 5.E.ST.1, 5.E.KE.1, 5.G.GR.1

MATH & ELA

Specific connections in progress. Please check teachkyag.org/curriculum for updates.
Counting
Ordering Numbers
Place Values
Rounding
Estimating
Measurement & Data
Interpret and Create Pictograph and Bar Charts
Analyze patterns and relationships

VOCABULARY

Agriculture - the science or practice of farming, including growing crops and raising animals for food and other renewable products.
Crops - plants grown for a specific purpose, such as food, animal feed, or fiber. Examples are corn, soybeans, hay, vegetables, and fruits.
Livestock - farmed animals most often used for food, fiber, or work.
Farm or Farmland - the space needed to grow crops and raise farm animals that provide food and fiber.
Farmers - the people who grow crops and care for livestock to earn money to pay for their needs. Many farmers also have jobs off the farm.
Acre - a unit of area for measuring land. It is about the size of a football field or 43,560 square feet. A soccer field is about 2 acres.
Market Value - the money earned for selling crops and livestock. This is not profit or money earned minus money spent.
Rank - a position of order. If the rank given is a number, it allows one to compare an individual's characteristics in a group quickly.
Cropland - land that is used to grow crops, including hay.
Pastureland - land that is used to graze animals.
Woodland - land that is mainly covered by trees.
Other - land covered by buildings, home gardens, water sources, or land not being used for a specific purpose.

Data Sheets and Resources

Worksheets & Activities

Agriculture Where I Live - County Exploration Worksheet
County Comparison Activity - Google Classroom (make a copy to your own drive to use)

Ideas Generated from TEacher Workshops

Interest Activity 1 - What do you know about Kentucky farms?

Ask students true and false statements about Kentucky farms to test their knowledge.

Kentucky is about 50% farmland. TRUE, about 12.4 of Kentucky’s 25.5 million acres are part of farms (48.7%). One could argue, however, that only 35% of Kentucky’s acres are used to grow crops and graze livestock.
Kentucky is number one in the U.S. for the number of horses. FALSE. Kentucky is number one for horse sales, not its number of horses.
Kentucky has more beef cattle than any state east of the Mississippi River. TRUE. Kentucky has about 2 million cattle and ranks 8th in the nation for total number of cattle.
Tobacco brings more money to Kentucky than any other crop. FALSE. This was true 25 years ago, but not today because there is less demand for tobacco. Corn and soybeans are Kentucky’s top crops.
Poultry (chickens, turkeys, and eggs combined) earn the most money for Kentucky farmers. TRUE. For 9 out of the last 10 years, poultry brought more money to Kentucky than any other agricultural crop or livestock.

Activity 2 - Kentucky Farms Data Sheet Analysis

Provide copies of the U.S. Agricultural Profile on Kentucky for 2022 and 2017 to groups of students.
Discuss/define terms (Cropland, Pastureland, Woodland, Other).
Quick See-Think-Wonder discussion with people at their table.
Answer any clarifying questions about the information presented.
Compare/Contrast 2017 and 2022 Kentucky Agriculture Profile.
Ask guided questions to promote discussion with the students in their groups. Have groups share answers.
- Is farmland increasing or decreasing?
- Did the value of sales increase or decrease?
- What agricultural products increased the most in the amount of money brought to Kentucky farmers?

Activity 3 - Agriculture Where I Live

Answer the questions on this worksheet using your county data sheet and profile. The questions on the second page are for intermediate and secondary students.

Activity 4 - County Comparison

Google Classroom Slide Activity