Minnesota Agriculture in the Classroom Foundation

The Minnesota Ag in the Classroom (MAITC) program was established in 1985 as a unique public/private partnership between the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) and the state's agricultural and educational communities. Today, the MDA support is for ongoing educational materials development, teacher professional development and program marketing and outreach, while the MAITC Foundation raises and manages private sector funds to fulfill program needs. MAITC Vision: Agriculture is valued by ALL. MAITC Mission: To increase agricultural literacy through K-12 education. An agriculturally literate person is defined as "one who understands and can communicate the source and value of agriculture as it affects our quality of life." MAITC seeks to improve student achievement by applying authentic, agricultural-based content as the context to teach core curriculum concepts in science, social studies, language arts and nutrition. By encouraging teachers to embed agriculture in their classrooms and curriculum, MAITC cultivates an understanding and appreciation of the food and fiber system that we all rely on every day.